


I Mean No Harm

by Jenkin



Category: Naruto
Genre: Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Bottom Umino Iruka, Caretaker Iruka, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Hatake Kakashi Has Issues, M/M, Teacher Iruka, Top Hatake Kakashi, young Naruto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-09-18 11:09:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 37,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16993896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenkin/pseuds/Jenkin
Summary: Kakashi is the legendary ANBU assassin code-named Hound who will do anything to repay his debt to a certain chunin level teacher.





	1. Chapter 1

ANBU, the special assassination and tactical squad of Konohagakure, also commonly referred to as hunter nin, is a squad of elite jounin level ninja assigned S-class missions for the better of the village. An ANBU does not have feelings they are simply sharpened tools of destruction used for however the village sees fit.

…

Kakashi brought his hands together as he evaded a kunai aimed at his heart, lightening pulsating from the palm of his right hand before he ran it through his final attacker's chest. He closed his heart off and remained unfeeling as he pulled his hand out of a mere pre-genin's tiny body. He wasn't Kakashi he was Hound, the ANBU assassin who had been sent on a mission to kill the emperor's grandchild and only heir from the Land of the Stone. Hound took a scroll from out of his pack and released the body of a missing mist nin with kunai haphazardly thrown into his body to look like the work of a pre-genin, a fatal blow to the back of the head. The ANBU leant down and placed the mist nin's body near the dead bodyguard who had so valiantly tried to save the young boy from the mercilessness of the ANBU with a wooden sword, but failed. He shook his head at the sight of the sword and smeared blood on the blunt weapon, honestly who in their right mind would attack an enemy without an actual weapon. Hound had defintely not been expecting that and had to make sure the man hit the dead mist nin's head before he killed him. It was his lucky day that the mist nin he captured, had also been a known lightning user who was a copy cat of the infamous Copy Ninja.

He looked around the room, and disappeared without a sound, arriving several miles from the mansion in time to hear the scream of presumably a maid and the ninja that had been loitering outside now alerted, Mission complete. Hound turned around and sped back to Konohagakure to report. Only stopping occasionally to make sure he wasn't being followed and to eat a soldier pill to give him extra stamina. He couldn't remember the last time he ate a real meal, food was a luxury simply ANBU did not have.

Hound stopped on a tree branch, out of sight as he watched the group of genin watching the border for anything suspicious. A mere D-rank mission as they were only to report and never engage in battle, he readied a kunai in case he was seen and teleported past the border soundlessly and continued homeward. Though home didn't really mean anything to him, he was a weapon.

Several hours later he passed through the gates of Konohagakure, not even bothering to check in with the guards, he was Hound the legendary ANBU that kids idolized and ninja respected. If an enemy ever saw his mask they knew it meant only one thing, death. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, his feet so light when he landed they didn't even make noise. Hound disappeared as he used the transportation jutsu for the third time that day. He kneeled and looked down at his feet as he reported to the Head of ANBU, second in command to the Hokage.

"Mission Complete, Stone will think it was Mist who attacked them," He said simply and awaited his next mission that was simply how things worked in ANBU. Short and quick to the point was how the ANBU worked, he would file a formal report of the mission the next day.

"Your next mission is an S-rank take a team to dispose of a group of missing Leaf nin located near the Sand Country Border, exterminate all, jounin level ninja estimated to be twenty, collect the stolen scrolls they plan to trade and report back." Hound nodded and instantly four other ANBU appeared at his side simultaneously once they were summoned by the head. The team exited the group and set off for the Sand country border why Hound briefed them of the mission.

They arrived within hours and Hound ate another soldier pill to sustain him and signaled to the four to surround the camp, frowning he had a bad feeling. Hound threw in the smoke bombs and the ANBU leaped to strike their target down. He soon realized he was right about the bad feeling he had, the camp had gained reinforcements, doubling their numbers who they had steathily kept hidden until they were attacked. Even if he was the legendary Copy Ninja with Sharingan there was no way five ANBU could take on forty- elite missing nin especially if they were all jounin level or Ex- ANBU themselves. Hound turned in time to see one of his comrades struck down with a lightning and water combo jutsu. That left four ANBU; he had to find the scrolls or the mission would fail completely. He ran into the nearby tent and grabbed one of the sealed scrolls, just in time to dodge a poison senbon.

Hound quickly pocketed the scroll and signed a fire jutsu at lightning speed, before he burned the remainder of the scrolls so as to not let them fall into enemy hands, letting three senbon pierce his left arm, right shoulder and left thigh in the process. He turned around and instantly killed his attacker with a single kunai to the heart, the enemy disappearing into smoke, a clone. Hound exited the tent and quickly took out the poison senbon before readying his chidori, 16 down 24 more to go.

…

Hound carried the only surviving member of his team on his back as he raced home, unable to even teleport due to chakra exhaustion. Every missing nin was exterminated, the scrolls kept from enemy hands, and his teammate was dying in his arms while he himself was slowly bleeding out. His feet couldn't carry him fast enough as he leapt from tree to tree, cautious as to whether or not there were survivors following him. Hound turned in time to throw his final kunai at his follower who dodged easily enough and landed on the branch, next to where the kunai had lodged itself.

"Release!" Hound felt no remorse as he leapt away from the explosion which the jounin hadn't even seen coming. He readjusted the ANBU in his numb arms; he lost almost all feeling in them when he was poisoned again. He had quickly taken the antidote but that didn't mean that it had taken effect yet. The only reassurance that the man in his arms was even alive was the small heartbeat and shallows breaths he ever so occasionally felt. Hound sped through the forest for another hour and a half before he stumbled through the gates once again. The sky darkened to a deadly shade of black and he frowned, nighttime was where you either attacked or got attacked and neither sounded good in his situation.

He bit back a groan as he felt the effects of his last soldier pill wear off. Hound continued on to the hospital and unceremoniously dumped his comrade on one of the rookie nurses.

"His name is Yaro of the Akimichi clan, codename Pig. Deadly poison in his system, I've registered the antidote, multiple stab wounds, chakra exhaustion, and broken bones," He said coolly before running in the other direction and running to the headquarters as he heard the nurse yell after him. First things first he had to report and return the scroll before he went home. Hound managed to jump to the top of a nearby roof and clumsily jumped from place to place. He hated hospitals, the smell of anesthetic, tears of citizens, just the atmosphere of hospitals was a put off. It was also the place where you were required to reveal you identity in case of allergies.

Hound blinked, his vision was getting blurry, maybe he took the wrong antidote after all? If he had taken the wrong one, then he was as good as dead. He landed on a tree branch as he felt himself begin to sway, his vision turning as dark as the sky as he was suddenly being pulled down by gravity, shit. The last thing he remembered was a smooth, rich voice filled with concern. They couldn't have been talking to him, no one cared whether he lived or died.

...

Waking to something touching you was definitely a bad way to wake as an ANBU. Instinct took over as he instantly grabbed the object and prepared to kill. It only took an instant to take the kunai from underneath the pillow and pin the person who even dared to touch a sleeping ANBU, to the bed and hold the sharpened blade to their throat. The figure stilled as his arm was suddenly pulled behind his back as if to break it and a kunai was about to slit his throat.

"P-please d-don't, I was just checking up." Hound took a second to realize he had been stripped of his armor, his chest was wrapped in gauze and the stab wound in his side had stopped bleeding and was covered in what felt like ointment and a patch of gauze taped to his side. He looked around the room, gaining Intel on where he was, the man beneath him appeared to be a teacher, based on the multitude of poorly drawn pictures hung on the walls labeled with 'To the bestest sensei ever!', chunin level simply based on how easily he had been pinned- not a threat. Hound lowered his weapon and released the chunin's arm, noting how the body beneath him instantly went slack with relief- positively not a threat.

"Where am I?" The silver haired ANBU stood up even though his body protested the sudden movement. He leaned down and proceeded to put his armor on once more when he was gently stopped by a firm but tender hand on his wrist, "Hound-sama you should go to the hospital! I've treated your wounds to the best of my ability but if you strain yourself it will all be for naught." A red blush ghosted over the man's scarred face and he quickly released his grip on the ANBU's wrist.

Oh right. He'd almost forgotten. Hound readjusted the kunai in his hand and got into striking position, "Did you, ever once take my mask off?" The brunette scampered away as fast as he could on the bed, it's once white sheets stained red from either his or the enemy's blood. The man held his hands up defensively, "N-no! I would never!" Hound held his stance for a few moments finding nothing but the truth as he looked into those chocolate eyes, a truthful person was a rarity to an ANBU. He lowered his weapon and continued latching on the pieces of his armor quickly before he opened the window, finding it to be still dark outside. Good, he wasn't out for very long.

He turned to look at the shocked brunette on the bed and nodded approval before disappearing in the darkness. Hound arrived but moments later at headquarters and set the only remaining scroll before the Head.

"Report."

"3 ANBU dead, code-names were Mole, Rat, and Horse, 1 ANBU in fatal condition, Pig, enemy camp destroyed, no remaining survivors, and the remaining scrolls have been burned due to dangerous circumstances." The head nodded with a raised eyebrow as he picked up the last scroll containing important info.

" Mission complete. Kakashi, I want you to go to the hospital and you are out of duty until you are fully recovered. Even from here I can tell you're like a walking corpse." Hound vanished and he soon became Kakashi after mission complete.

"Maa~ I've been treated by a tender hearted angel I met on the street, there's no need to go to the hospital," the silver haired ANBU said lazily as he scratched the back of his head.

"Cut the shit. Dismissed." Kakashi scowled behind the mask but left the room, leaving only a leaf behind from his jutsu. He fell to his knees as he arrived in front of the hospital, teleportation in his condition hadn't been a good idea. Any previous chakra he had had left was now gone for sure.

"Hound-sama!" A young nurse, about the same age as the one he dumped Pig on was quickly helping him up and leading him to the examination room. He blinked and noticed for the first time he was still covered in blood. It barely took seconds before she had snapped all of his armor off and was helping him pull his shirt off. She blushed as she took in all of the toned muscles of the legendary Hound of Konoha, maybe she should start doing overtime more. She didn't bother to even ask if he could take off the mask, only an idiot would attempt to see what is underneath while the ANBU is conscious.

Kakashi watched lazily as she quickly began undoing all of the scarred brunette's handiwork, feeling slightly disappointed as he watched it come off so soon. She quickly stitched the gash on his side up and repaired his broken kneecap, huh he hadn't even noticed. He didn't even make a sound as she readjusted his dislocated shoulder, simply gritting his teeth. The nurse seemed slightly scared by his lack of reaction; maybe he should try and act more human next time instead of a lifeless tool.

Kakashi ran his hand through his hair, "Is that all? Then I better be going."

"Hound-sama!It isn't good for your health to be moving around so quickly with all of your injuries." Kakashi rolled his eyes, "Maa~ can't we just look over this little incident, I'm fine, really! Besides, I have a precious little bugger at home that is waiting for me," he lied. She stared at him long enough he was almost tempted to put a genjutsu on her so he could escape, too bad he didn't have any chakra left. His exhaustion levels were putting him near the dead shinobi, but he'd be fine if he just took another pill.

The nurse shook her head and scribbled down a few notes, "I can't believe I'm doing this." The instant she turned her back to him he vanished out the window as fast as his injured body could take him, not even bothering to wait for the pain pills she was sure to prescribe him, he was used to the pain. He let his feet take him to the place he called home, landing stealthily in front of his door before he disabled all of his traps and entered.

He had a big home, several rooms he never used, with a kitchen that was almost empty with the exception of fiber bars, a dining room with a singular table he never ate at, and a bedroom he hardly slept in, completely different from the brunette's humble abode. Compared to his, Kakashi's just looked dull and lifeless, he vaguely wondered why. His home wasn't quite as cluttered with furniture like the brunette's had been but it had most of the same things, like a couch and a singular bookshelf for his beloved IchaIcha books.

Kakashi shrugged as he took off the ashen ANBU mask and the rest of his armor for probably the hundredth time that day. He sighed a shower was out of the question with all of the gauze wrapped around his chest, but he still had blood in his hair, and that was just uncomfortable to sleep in. He however didn't feel like crouching over the sink to simply wash his hair and decided to let things be as he slowly sank into the soft mattress. There was a singular question on his mind as he drifted away into a half asleep-half awake doze, who was the brunette from before?

…

Iruka looked down at his heavily stained sheets and sighed, the ANBU was obviously in no condition to even move. He absentmindedly rubbed his wrist where the ANBU had touched. ANBU were certainly on a whole other playing field than him if they could move that swiftly severely injured. He could never move that fast even if he was at his best, he hadn't even seen the other man move before there was a kunai to his throat and his arm was locked in place. Then he even tried to command the possibly most dangerous man in Konoha to go to the hospital, maybe he should go himself so he could figure out whether or not he was as crazy as he thought he was. Iruka shook his head as he stripped the sheets off and replaced them with woolen olive green colored ones.

He had just been on his way home from a long day at the Mission's office when he saw the body collapsed in the street beside his home. Iruka gasped in surprise when he had first noticed the injured ANBU, he actually thought he was dead for a moment. He almost had to drag the ANBU as gently as he could before he managed to maneuver the other onto his back and into his home because unlike the person in his arms who seemed to not have a single ounce of fat on him and may be on the slimmer side, carrying another person wasn't second nature. It took a skillful mind and a lot of maneuvering to get the man situated on his bed, sitting up so he could treat him.

Iruka had scurried all across his home to find the first-aid kit he misplaced some time ago. The thought to peek underneath the mask never even occurred to him as he was so focused on trying to stop the bleeding. He was no medical ninja, but he had been on enough missions to at least be smart enough to know the basics of how to treat a wound. Iruka generously dabbed the antibiotic ointment over the wounds, after he'd managed to stop the bleeding.

He had wrapped the gauze around the unconscious man's chest to the best of his ability but it still appeared to be too loose. Iruka had also taped a patch of gauze around the stab wound on the man's lower abdomen and had gently laid the man down on the pillow. Thoughts raced through his mind as he wondered what he should do, he couldn't simply let the living legend of Konoha die on his bed because he was stupid. Maybe he should notify ANBU headquarters, but that might have gotten the man in trouble. So he just sat at the kitchen table grading papers at backbreaking speed, should he make soup in case the man woke up?

Unfortunately he never had the chance to because the next the time he went to check up on the man he was pinned and the man vanished out of the window several minutes later. Iruka shook his head, he should have taken him to the hospital so he could've gotten proper treatment, and if he died later then it would be entirely his fault. Iruka replaced the kunai under his pillow as he stared up at the ceiling, worry and concern bogging his thoughts and rendering him unable to sleep.

Maybe he should make cookies for his class as a present tomorrow since they all passed his recent test, even Naruto with a C-. He sat up out of his bed, he had nothing better to do anyways and the baking would take his thoughts away from the injured man he knew absolutely nothing about aside from the rumors that floated around town. Iruka was never one to believe in rumors but from what Iruka had seen from the man, the ANBU was definitely more than capable of being what the rumors said he was. It was like the two were in two entirely different worlds. The man had literally bested Iruka in two seconds flat while he was at his best and the other was severely injured. Iruka tried not to feel as pathetic as he thought he was and proceed to get out the ingredients to bake cookies for his class, or would brownies be better?


	2. Chapter 2

Kakashi woke at exactly 5 A.M like he did every morning, he frowned he had had been hoping that his injured body would let him sleep in on his day off. He supposed he could visit Pig but they weren't even close or even what by society's standards could be considered friends, so it wouldn't be in his place. Kakashi had no friends, he was an ANBU, and friends were hindrances as well as feelings. He sat up and yawned before he decided to do what he did every time he had a day off, visit the memorial stone. All of his friends were dead. Kakashi sighed and sat up, he felt like shit but he was used to that. He sighed, gauze or not he was taking a shower.

Kakashi gently unraveled the white linen off his chest, a slash going diagonal from the top of his right pectoral to the lower left. Maybe if he returned to the hospital they would be able to heal it so that it wouldn't scar, not that he cared, and he had so many already adding another to the list didn't really matter. Oh, but he forgot about where he was stabbed by a kunai slightly above his right hip bone, that one had needed stitches, it was definitely going to scar, oh well. Kakashi peeled the patch off his hip to reveal the stitches and yawned once again.

He turned the shower on, the water coming down in gentle droplets not even bothering to wait for the water to warm up before he stepped in and let the water cascade down his injured body. Kakashi quickly rinsed the dirt and grime that had accumulated from the past week or so of doing non-stop missions. Damn, he had really needed a shower, he was almost positive his hair was an entire shade lighter now without all the dried blood and dirt caught in it. Kakashi quickly scrubbed the rest of his body down and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel that smelled stale and made a mental note to wash it with his uniform later. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked back into the plain open area that was his bedroom. Kakashi ran the towel through his hair before chucking it in the laundry pile, vaguely wondering if the brunette's towels smelled stale, probably not, they probably smelled like tea or something sweet. The brunette would be able to frequently wash his belongings, unlike him who sometimes went over a month without doing laundry, wearing the same bloodstained uniform for an extended amount of time.

Kakashi probably smelled like a sewer most of the time but it's not like anyone ever had the guts to ever tell him. ANBU simply did not have the usual luxuries regular ninja had, and it was common for ANBU to go without food, sleep, and hygiene, after all why would a tool require all of those things? He was a tool for the village's disposal, but when he was gifted with the rarity of a break he mainly spent it all talking to those who have already passed. Kakashi quickly slipped on a pair of underwear and another uniform, he didn't have anything else but a certain amount of uniforms at his disposal to wear. He clicked the ANBU armor over his uniform and replaced his mask.

Kakashi hardly ever left without his mask and even if he did he still wore a mask and a Konoha head guard over his sharingan eye. Paranoia was a trait every ANBU had, always on guard and on the lookout for any potential threats. Anyone could be the enemy in disguise waiting to kill you and make an attack, with that knowledge who wouldn't be paranoid? He however had another idea on how he was going to spend his rare day off and that would be on how to make up his debt to the brunette teacher had had nearly killed. Kakashi could always visit the stone after he finished his business.

Kakashi left the apartment quietly through the window and ran until he arrived at what he believed to be the teacher's house. He frowned, as an ANBU he had almost zero social skills, his work simply didn't require that. What could the teacher possibly want as thanks? Maybe he would find out after a little research. The ANBU jumped up and easily balanced on the windowsill and took out a small lock pick he carried at all times.

Will the skill of an expert he opened the window and stepped in, dismantling all of the chunin's traps with the grace of an assassin in his element. Kakashi looked around the bedroom he had been in last night, the stained sheets still bundled in the corner. During the daylight the warmth of the room filled with pictures sloppily drawn by kids hung seemed increased ten-fold. He slid his hands in his pockets as he walked into the hallway and what seemed to be the living room.

There was a well worn brown couch near the windows, and in front was a coffee table with papers strewn across the surface with a half filled cup of tea from presumably this morning. Kakashi picked up what appeared to be the graded homework of the chunin's students. Sasuke Uchiha, well apparently he was as talented as his older brother with the perfect score he made. He set the paper back and stood in front of the teacher's teaching diploma, Iruka Umino.

"Iruka-sensei." Kakashi smiled slightly at how the name easily rolled off of his tongue. He padded around the small but welcoming apartment of the teacher's for a while longer before sighing. Apparently the teacher loved collecting the crap his students dumped on him but he highly doubted a full grown man doing the same would have the same effect. The teacher was a ninja, he might have some enemies he wants out of the way. That's what Kakashi would want if an assassin were to do a favor. He lazily scratched the back of his head as he walked back to the room he entered and alarmed all of the traps once more. He slid the window closed, not bothering to lock it, the teacher would more likely think he'd left it unlocked than someone breaking in his house and purposely resetting all of his traps.

Kakashi walked down the dirt road, letting his feet take him to the Academy where he might hopefully catch the teacher in time for lunch.

When he arrived the teacher was handing out papers and scolding the exact replica of his beloved Sensei. Kakashi smiled sadly, the kid seemed to have gotten father's looks and mother's personality. He watched in silence as he continued waiting for the teacher to get back to class and to presume teaching. Kakashi cocked his head in confusion, had he missed the lunch period? That wouldn't be surprising considering he hardly ever ate at the normal times everyone else did. He frowned, would it be rude to ask the teacher what he required now? Kakashi shrugged he'd seen other do it countless times and if he messed up then he would simply apologize.

With speed that even the Yellow Flash would be proud of the silver haired jounin entered the class and kneeled at the brunette's feet exactly like he would do with the Head. The chunin had immediately jumped and instinctively put his hand on his weapons pouch before he sighed with relief. Kakashi frowned, he messed up, but he had seen others enter through the window countless times as a kid, then again they were at war at the time. He had also seemingly embarrassed the teacher judging by the shade of red his face had turned, or was he seething with anger? Kakashi cleared his throat, "I would like to humbly thank you for the service you provided yesterday. I will do whatever you require." He bowed his head like he had been taught to do when receiving orders and awaited the chunin's answer.

Kakashi was surprised when a hand lightly touched his shoulder and guided him to his feet. He blinked as he took in the sight of the teacher who was undeniably as red as a tomato and looking toward his class of students rather than him in embarrassment. The man was practically the definition of 'cute'.

"I'm going to step out for a few while I discuss matters with my, uh, well whatever! I'll be right by the door so If I hear a peep out of anyone of you, there will be a pop quiz!" Iruka nodded confidently at the displeased groan from the class as he led the ANBU into the hall. Kakashi smiled, the teacher had a temper. That only made him so much cuter. He held back a chuckle and schooled his features back to normal even though the teacher would have no way of telling.

"Maa~ my apologies Iruka-sensei~ I did not mean to disrupt but it appeared as if I missed the chance to talk to you at lunch." Iruka had seemed slightly take aback by the lazy attitude and slow drawl Kakashi usually had when he was himself, but quickly smiled and shook his head. Kakashi found himself comparing that smile to the sun, it was simply breathtaking and warm.

"Not at all, I was just about to re-teach what those brats learned yesterday because most of them seemed to not understand. Um, I'm glad to see you're okay." Iruka scratched at his scar, "You left so suddenly, I was worried whether or not something would happen to you." Kakashi was shocked by that statement, how could a person worry about another when they had just met? Iruka smiled, "Sorry, that probably sounds weird coming from a stranger, but I truthfully was worried for your well being after seeing you with so many injuries." He eyed the ANBU's lithe form covered completely by clothes, trying to look for any wounds.

"Should you be walking around in your condition? I don't want your wounds to worsen."

"It's fine, those were just scratches. I came by to thank you for your help while I was out of action. I always repay my debts, just say the word and I will do anything you wish." Iruka's eyebrows furrowed and he looked as if he wanted to say something but decided against it.

"You don't have to do that." Kakashi frowned, "I always repay my debts." Iruka sighed as he crossed his arms and stared at the floor in thought.

"Normally weapon's training happens a little later but I'm sure the kids will benefit if they see an expert at practice. I know ANBU don't normally spend time showing pre-genin how to throw a kunai, but that's the only thing I can think of on such short notice."

"I swear to god you stupid bastard I'm gonna beat the crap out of you!" Iruka's winced at Naruto's sudden outburst and sighed, he'd been hoping the hyperactive blond could make it more than five minutes without fighting with Sasuke.

"Shut up, Naruto! Iruka-sensei is going to here you!" He rolled his eyes, even Sakura-chan?

Iruka glanced up at Kakashi, "Do you want to eat lunch first, while I take care of the kids? You missed it right? You can wait in the teachers lounge." Kakashi shrugged, "I don't mind observing you teach." Iruka nodded and Kakashi opened the door and unsurprisingly a chalk eraser began to fall. It fell and landed on his head with a white poof making his already silver hair even whiter. Naruto laughed obnoxiously, "What kind of ANBU can't dodge an eraser?! We'll be dead in minutes if that's who is protecting us."

It took only a second before Iruka was grabbing the pre-genin by the ear and pulling him into the hall to scold him. Kakashi leaned against the teacher's desk and faced the students as he wiped dust from his hair. The children, with the exception of the Uchiha, practically cowered in fear at the teacher's booming voice from the hall. Iruka walked in with an air of satisfaction around him, "Take out a pencil and a piece of paper, we are going to have a pop quiz because you all couldn't manage to sit quietly while I was talking with Hound-sama." The class groaned and Kakashi scanned their faces in curiosity of who would probably fail. He found an Inuzuka with a pained face who was rubbing his temples, a boy who was sleeping on his arms, and Naruto Uzumaki who entered after the collective groan, with glassy eyes.

"This is all your fault Naruto!" A pinkette with an overly wide forehead exclaimed. The blond put his hands behind his head and turned away, "Yeah, yeah, yeah like I care." Iruka coughed, "Naruto was not the only one I heard in the hallway." The pinkette blushed and looked at her desk in shame. Naruto snickered and returned to his seat next to the Inuzuka who punched him in the arm. Kakashi put his hands in his pockets as Iruka began to name off the questions.

"First question, What clan assists in the recovery of the famous three pill secret weapon?" Kakashi watched as Iruka threw a piece of chalk at the sleeping boy who was most likely a Nara, he slowly woke up and looked around before sighing and returning back to his previous position on his arms, muttering under his breath about how school was 'such a drag'. The Inuzuka ran his hands through his hair in agitation when ironically the answer was sleeping in front of him, while Naruto zoned out after guessing. He smiled, it was good that they could take things so slow nowadays. When he was their age he was already a chunin who fought in war. Iruka sighed and asked another simple question so that half the class possibly didn't fail. It seemed the class had been learning about the different clans of Konoha and their specialties.

To his surprise there was also an Akimichi clan member but judging from the way he was happily eating bag after bag of chips while he sat next to the Nara kid, Pig must not have been a direct relative, possibly a cousin of some sorts. Kakashi vaguely wondered if his comrade had survived, or not, but he chose not to dwell on it. He was interrupted from his thoughts by the feisty teacher letting out an exasperated sigh and sneaking a glance a the uncaring ANBU leaning against the desk.

"Last question, What was the Fourth Hokage's nickname?" Kakashi frowned, he hadn't been to the memorial stone in several weeks, he really needed to visit later. "Everyone don't forget to write your name before you flip your paper over." The student's did as they were told and Iruka hastily traveled across the room to pick up the papers. Iruka smiled at Kakashi while he set the papers back down on the desk and cleared his throat, "Everyone, we have a special guest today who will assist us in weapon's training!" The class nodded in excitement a certain familiar blond perked up, "So are you like a real high level ninja?!" Kakashi nodded slowly, "One of the highest," he drawled. The class collectively said, 'cool' and Iruka smiled at Kakashi as the students began to line up by the door. The silver haired jounin found that he liked it when Iruka smiled, really liked it. Kakashi got up from his place against the desk and followed the class to where they were supposed to train. Iruka had gotten a pack of training kunai somehow, huh, he hadn't even seen the chunin enter the supply closet, interesting.

In front of him was the rowdy blond who was too much like his mother for his own good, an exact replica of Minato with Kushina's mouth was quite comical actually. Naruto kept turning and looking at him it was actually beginning to get creepy. The kid had his arms propped up behind him, " I'm gonna be Hokage one day, believe it! When I am, you can be my subordinate since you're really cool looking!" Kakashi smiled softly and patted the blond's head effectively stopping him to look at his scarred face, "I'll wait for that day." Naruto grinned and bounded to catch up while Kakashi took several long strides and put his hands back in his pockets. Iruka waited for him at the doorway, "Are you sure you're fit to do this? You're about to be surrounded by pre-genin who can't throw kunai, shuriken, or senbon in a straight line." Kakashi chuckled.

"I've been through worse than pre-genin in this condition. It kind of makes a difference when they're not purposefully trying to kill you." Iruka didn't look convinced, he saw all of Kakashi's wounds last night so he knew exactly what kind of condition the taller male was in. He sighed and stepped out of the way, "You're only doing demonstrations and maybe helping pre-genin." Iruka's voice was stern and commanding and he led the ANBU over to the training dummies where the class was waiting. Kakashi smiled as the chunin made him stand the farthest away he could from the dummies. Iruka turned, scratching his scar,"It's uh a rule that the more skilled you are the farther away you stand." The brunette grinned, "Besides it's always fun to show off a little." The chunin looked at the three dummies, squinting slightly he could hit the targets from this distance but it had taken some practice.

"Do you want a warm up throw?" Kakashi shrugged and took out several of his own weapons from his pack and held a kunai in his dominate hand, "Sure." He lazily threw one at the middle dummy, hitting it between the eyes. Hitting a non-moving target was a piece if cake for someone with sharingan. There were some 'oohs' and aahs' before he yanked his arm back, pulling on the semi-invisible string connected to the end,and the Kunai came spiraling back to the two, Kakashi easily catching the weapon before it hit his face.

"Impressive. As expected of the legendary Hound-sama." Iruka had a proud smile on his face with his hands on his hips as he spoke fondly of the man next to him. Adorable.

"Hound, just call me Hound." Warm chocolate eyes locked with his, seemingly judging for a facial expression before he smiled softly, slightly pink in the cheeks, sending the unsuspecting ANBU's heart to flutter like a butterfly in his chest. Kakashi frowned and wiped the feeling away as quickly as it came, "So how do you want me to hit them?" Iruka shrugged, "However you want." Kakashi nodded and pictured the dummies as enemy ninja, quickly throwing all of his weapons, some of them clanking against the others and bouncing into a different direction as they sped threw the air. The class was silent this time before Naruto's obnoxious laughter pierced it, "What's with that? He hit them in random places!" Sasuke frowned before elbowing his 'supposed' rival in the side, "Dobe, he hit all of the vital points, from that far, he could probably kill you with his pinky." Naruto gulped before elbowing Sasuke back and the beginning of another fight between the two once again started. Iruka separated them within seconds and Kakashi was leaning against the very tree he had been observing from earlier. He lazily pulled the weapons out of the dummies with the strings and slowly untangled the mass of weapons. The pre-genin took their stances in front of the dummies with several kunai confident grins on their faces.

Kakashi evaded a kunai that somehow end up coming his way, he pulled the weapon out of the tree and noticed the Inuzuka looking around, "Huh? Where did it go?" The weapon disappeared out of his hand with a puff of smoke and appeared in Iruka's hand. Clever, attach a justu to the weapons and you could summon all of the lost weapons. The set of pre-genin changed and Kakashi watched interestedly at Minato's heir who had his chest and cheeks puffed out to the max. Naruto got into stance and threw the kunai in a way Kakashi actually expected something, only to be disappointed when none of them hit their mark. He chuckled and stood next to the boy, "Do it like this." Kakashi put a kunai in the boy's hand and flicked his wrist gently, but forcefully enough to send the weapon flying into the wood. Naruto's face lit up so much it was like staring up at the sun.

"Iruka-sensei! Look I did it! I hit one!" Naruto was almost jumping up in down in his excitement as the brunette looked between the two.

"Very good! Maybe we can celebrate with some ramen later?" Naruto gave Kakashi a thumbs up before changing turns with another classmate. "You're surprisingly a good teacher. Ever thought about becoming a squad leader?" Truthfully Kakashi never even thought about it, he kind of figured he would be an ANBU forever. He simply shrugged, and Iruka nodded and returned to the students. Kakashi left as soon as the training was over, and gave Iruka a nod before he disappeared. He put a hand over his chest at the thought of never seeing the chunin again, their must be some side effect of the poison left in his system, that was the only explanation, weapons don't have feelings.


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi quickly bought some flowers before he went to the memorial stone, it had been so long since he visited, it wouldn't have been right to go empty handed. When he arrived he was somewhat pleased to find the area void of people, it was perfect because it meant he would have some privacy. He gently placed the bouquet of sunflowers he bought before the stone as he looked at the three names carved next to each other on the stone. Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and looked at the names of the only people who had managed to make their way into his heart. He let out a shaky breath but otherwise remained indifferent before he took off his mask and faced them.

"You guys would never guess who I happened to meet today." Kakashi waited in silence as he pictured their reactions, his sensei would be excited he met someone new, Rin would look at him with her curious, brown eyes, Obito would practically be leaning off his seat at the fact Kakashi had chosen to speak to them at all. He wasn't exactly the most talkative person in their squad at the time.

"I met Sensei's son, Naruto Uzumaki. An exact clone of sensei, with Kushina-san's ego." Kakashi smiled sadly and remained silent for a few minutes before deciding to speak again. "He wasn't the only one I met today, though." He paused before continuing, "I met someone who is my opposite. He is why I am probably still alive right now." Kakashi chuckled half-heartedly, "I guess I won't be visiting you guys quite yet." What felt like hours passed by as he stood staring at the stone. He vanished into a tree when he felt the presence of someone's chakra. Kakashi looked over his shoulder a final time before he replaced his mask and decided it was time once again to part ways, for now.

It had been nine days since he had last eaten a proper meal but his pack needed to eat every day and he was almost out of food. He had to stop by the market to get food for them, maybe some treats. Kakashi took his sweet time to get there, not wanting to push his body harder than it needed to be. He landed in front of the pet/ ninken store with his hands in his pockets and earned a startled gasp from the young girl sweeping outside the shop, a civilian. Kakashi frowned he knew of his somewhat infamous/famous reputation for being a merciless killer but he wasn't about to kill the very people he was trying to protect.

Kakashi turned away and opened the door to the shop and walked inside, heading straight to the back where he proceeded to pick up his order of ten bags. He really wished they delivered or that there was a place closer to his home, but there wasn't and the tiny shop was the only place that sold ninken food in all of Konoha. Kakashi picked up a bag of treats and took out his wallet to pay, eyeing the nervous cashier behind his mask.

"G-good afternoon A-anbu-sama! You c-came on s-sale day! F-food is half off!" Kakashi didn't feel the need to remark about how every time he came it was always 'sale day'. It wasn't like he ever threatened anyone in the shop, hell the only time he ever really spoke to them was when he ordered the food for his pack. Though he did spook them that one time when he wrote a transportation seal on the bag of food with his blood, but regardless of how strong he was he couldn't carry ten bags of dog food several miles in one go. He handed the money to the cashier, "I'll need another ten bags by the same time next month."

"M-my pleasure!" Kakashi nodded and pricked his thumb quickly, drawing the sign so fast the cashier's untrained eyes couldn't see. They disappeared with a poof and he left still carrying the bag of treats, he'd forgotten to put them in the pile, oh well. Kakashi turned a corner before he was pushed back a foot for a second. It was rare for someone to actually bump into him, most people usually kept their distance. It was even rarer that that said person just so happened to be a brunette, haired chunin teacher.

Iruka looked just as surprised as he did, or would have looked without his mask, "I-it's you!" Iruka blushed slightly at stating the obvious but the words had slipped out before he could have stopped them. Kakashi nodded quickly, still slightly shocked himself. He was about to leave when his clawed hand with the treats was grabbed, "Do you have dogs?" Kakashi nodded, he wasn't good with small talk like normal people, he was a very blunt and straight to the point type of guy. Iruka smiled at him, "How many?"

"Eight," he drawled. It was weird, seeing Iruka again. Fate was strange like that, it had a way of drawing people together, especially so soon. Iruka's mouth fell open slightly, eight was indeed a large number of dogs for a ninja. He was confused for a moment before he realized the only way Kakashi would be able to take care of them was if they were ninken. Somehow he never really took the ANBU to be an animal person. It was at that moment Iruka felt as stupid as he must have sounded, of course Hound had ninken, he was even legendary for it. He inwardly groaned, grateful that the ANBU was nice enough to not call him out on the mistake.

"I'm just getting back from my shift at the Mission's office, my home is near here, would you like to have some tea?" Kakashi examined Iruka's behavior simply out of habit. He was guarded yet relaxed and judging by hand twitch, slightly nervous. The chunin's reactions were understandable not everyone could invite a highly trained assassin to their home for evening tea. In fact most people who were not ANBU didn't dare to even talk to them unless receiving orders. Iruka was an anomaly in the way he seemed to treat everyone the same.

"What happened to ramen with Naruto?" He asked lazily, putting his free hand in his pocket. Iruuka let a long drawn out sigh at that, "That little...bugger got in trouble again, so as punishment, no ramen!" Iruka crossed his arms and huffed as he seemed to recall the memory. Kakashi, being mildly curious was tempted to have Iruka elaborate when his tattoo began to burn. He rolled his eyes behind his mask, seriously?

"I'm sorry Iruka -sensei it seems I'm being summoned. I'll have to take a rain check on that tea." Iruka nodded dumbly before Kakashi coolly disappeared. The brunette's shoulders slumped in disappointment as soon as the ANBU left, of course he had more important things to do than sit and have tea with a lowly chunin. He looked up when another ANBU appeared in front of him, kneeling. What was going on?

Meanwhile, Kakashi was fuming while he was standing in front of the Head, not bothering kneeling with his injuries. The Head chuckled, clearly amused, "Now, I know your mad because I interrupted, but trust me it wouldn't have been fun to be there when he realizes his house was broken into by a lazy jounin." Kakashi said nothing as a file was handed to him, labeled Umino, Iruka.

Once again the Head chuckled, "Relationships, are something even an ANBU needs." Now that was something you didn't hear everyday. Kakashi cleared his throat, "What is this about?" The Head intertwined his fingers, "Hound is a weapon, but you can't only be Hound you are Kakashi as well. Weapons break without proper care. To put it simply I don't trust you not to break or care for yourself. For example, when was your last meal?" Kakashi didn't have an answer to that, he honestly took only enough vitamins and nutrients to survive. " As the best ANBU we have, I can't let you break, so I've taken several pre-cautions. I know you won't care for yourself and what better way than to let the person you've been eying be responsible for that?" If Kakashi were any less unprofessional he would have face palmed, he didn't even need to ask to know who had been assigned to follow him.

"He's just a chunin, I will be nothing but a bother." The Head dismissed him, "I assume you know by now that he is not that type of person. You are dismissed, now go home, eat a meal, and care for your wounds, because I'm not assigning another mission until you're fully healed."

"Maa~ so you do care, I'm touched." Kakashi put his hands over his heart in a mock gesture, it's effect partially diminished with the back of treats. The Head scowled at him, "Dismissed," he said sharply. Kakashi sighed and used his last remaining ounce of chakra to transport home, not fully knowing what to expect when he arrived. He didn't even bother disabling his traps, figuring they were already gone anyways, and he was right when he didn't get electrocuted when his hand touched the doorknob.

Kakashi entered his home slowly, cautious for any surprise attacks. He had a feeling about who was sent to pick or tell Iruka, but he wanted to make sure it wasn't Guy, oh hell no. He let a quick sigh of relief as he found, Cat sitting on his couch, holding a cup a tea. Kakashi was tempted to take off his mask but due to the clanking and muffled cursing in his kitchen the fiery chunin was currently in his home. He could feel Tenzou's amusement and he wanted nothing more than to slap the smugness off his kouhai's face.

"I didn't know you were so fragile you needed a caretaker, senpai." Kakashi's eye narrowed and in an instant his weapon was pulled and at his kouhai's throat as he took a seat next to him. He heard a glass break and another curse before Iruka stomped out of the kitchen finding Kakashi with his katana at the other man's neck. Iruka was frozen for a moment before shaking his head as he noticed Kakashi's casual position and the unaffected presumably kouhai.

"You have no food."

"Ah~ Sorry, I forgot to go shopping." Iruka glared at him, "You bought like twenty bags of food for your dogs, but you never thought to buy something for yourself? Every single cabinet is empty, actually the only thing I found was a bottle of soldier pills and an empty fiber bar box that dates back to last month." Kakashi sheathed his sword and scratched his head, he didn't really know what to say. Iruka clapped his hands together in a sign, "Stay here," he said quickly.

Tenzou leaned back, "He's interesting. Very forceful, almost knocked me out when I transported us. He is clearly very skilled at what he does."

"So much praise is rare for you." Kakashi took his mask off to get some air on his face for a few brief seconds before replacing it yet again. Tenzou shrugged, "He's a lot more likeable than you, senpai. I think he will do you good, you've been on a destructive path lately and it's quite noticeable. Especially if you almost die on the road, luckily for you Iruka volunteers for late night shifts at the Missions office or you would've been dead with all of that poison inside of you."

Kakashi nodded, "I've already repaid my debt."

"A life is worth more than a five minute demonstration." Kakashi scowled at that, Iruka had said it was fine. Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, "Does he know my identity?"

"We are unsure, but Head said depending on the circumstances identity exposure is nonpunishable, such as if you must take of your mask to have your wounds cleaned, etc..." Kakashi nodded, "He's not going to be living with me is he?"

"No, he will be doing daily checkups before work, lunch break, and dinner. If there is a problem he will report it. And whether or not he chooses to stay here instead of commuting is entirely up to him." Tenzou took his mask off for a few brief seconds as he took a few sips of the tea. Kakashi's eye twitched, "How long are you planning on staying?" Tenzou frowned and his mask was replaced, "Tell me if something interesting happens, oh and thank Iruka-san for the tea as well." Kakashi waved him away and Tenzou quickly left through the window.

It was another fifteen minutes when Iruka arrived with groceries and frankly the most food Kakashi had seen in a long while. "Do regular people eat that much?" Iruka shrugged as he stared, dumfounded at the little orange book Kakashi was holding in his hand. It was obvious the chunin disapproved, but he kept his mouth shut and went back into the kitchen, leaving Kakashi to continue with his reading. He looked up from the edge of the book at several particularly loud clanks and mumbled curses. Slowly, a delicious aroma filled the air and he could feel his empty stomach groan. Kakashi was gradually becoming more impatient as that scent lingered in the air, tantalizing him and more accurately, his stomach.

When Iruka finally emerged, looking slightly annoyed, from the kitchen holding two plates of fried rice, Kakashi let out a relieved sigh and closed his book. He easily slid it back into his weapons pouch and took the plate and chopsticks from Iruka. Iruka looked around for a seat and, not finding any, took a seat next to Kakashi. He turned so his back would be to the jounin to give him the privacy to eat.

"It's not much, but at least it's better than fucking pills," Iruka bit out.

"You're mad," Kakashi stated simply. "And you have every right to be, being inconvenienced like this. Being stuck to babysit an ANBU isn't something you hear everyday. I apologize, none of this was done with my knowledge, honestly I was probably as surprised as you were." Iruka shrugged his shoulders, "It is a surprise, but that's not what I'm mad about. I looked through every single one of your cabinets and found absolutely no trace of actual food! What is wrong with you, don't you know that people need to eat to live?!" Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "I honestly forget that I'm human sometimes." Iruka's shoulders drooped, "That's why I'm here," he said quietly.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence and no one said anything to the other. Iruka picked up the plates after Kakashi readjusted his mask and left for the kitchen, returning quickly. Iruka sat down as Kakashi stood up and walked over to one of the bags of food, tugging at the edge as he placed eight bowls in a straight line before he began dumping the contents. Iruka raised an eyebrow as he dumped about 1/4th of the bag in one bowl but Kakashi ignored him as he filled the other bowls quit moderately.

Kakashi kneeled down, his injured body protesting at the movement, and brought his hands together as he gathered up every ounce of his chakra. Eight poofs appeared in the room and the biggest dog Iruka had ever seen, caught the ANBU who almost fell back after fully depleting his chakra. Kakashi patted the big brown dog, "Thanks, Bull." The dog licked his mask as he steadied the man who then came face to face with a tan dog with a pug-ish face.

"Pakkun," Kakashi said simply.

"Idiot," the dog replied before turning to Iruka. "Who is he?"

"Iruka, meet my pack."


	4. Chapter 4

"Iruka, meet my pack."

Said brunette blinked as he took in the eight dogs that had been summoned. 'Bull' carefully padded over to the biggest bowl, no wonder he fed the dog so much, it was almost as big as him! Kakashi sat as still as he could and caught his breath so he didn't faint right then and there, that would've been embarrassing. He lightly patted the pug-like dog who had taken a seat on his lap, "Kak-Hound," he corrected quickly, "you should know better than to summon us in this condition."

"And let you guys starve? What kind of master would I be? Then I would have to listen to Bull's grumbling tummy and feel guilty."

"Idiot," the dog, presumably named Pakkun, growled. "Your health is more important than ours, especially since you don't even bother to care for yourself after getting injured! That's right, we can all smell the blood." Bull let out a small whine and Kakashi sighed deciding to change the topic of his injuries, "Iruka is here for that very reason, to take care of me for the time being. He did save my life a couples days ago, so be nice." Pakkun hopped off of Kakashi's lap and onto the chunin's who had been silently observing the interaction between the two.

The pug inhaled the brunette's scent, memorizing it quickly, bad things seemed to always happen to those the idiot boy cared about, hopefully it would turn out differently this time. Iruka let out a nervous chuckle as all eight dogs began silently sniffing him for no apparent reason. Honestly the whole situation was just plain weird, it seemed almost anything involving the silver-haired ANBU was always weird or different.

The pug cleared his throat after they all memorized the brunette's scent, "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Pakkun, the big guy over there is Bull, the tan one with weird eyes is Urushi, the one with the mohawk is Shiba, Biscuit is the one with circular eyes, Uhei is the redish one, slanty eyes over there is Guruko."

"I'm Akino," the remaining member with shades said casually. Iruka nodded and lightly shook the paw Pakkun stuck out, "I'm Umino Iruka, pleased to meet you." Pakkun was silent for a minute, "You're polite, unlike that brat over there." Pakkun gestured to the ANBU with distaste, "Sorry to leave so abruptly, but the idiot's chakra is gone and having us here is only going to make it worse." The pug took in the entity that was Umino Iruka, "I hope we meet again," he said quietly. Iruka was temporarily stunned at having heard the ANBU being called a brat. He chuckled softly, hoping the other hadn't heard what Pakkun had said. It only lasted a moment as he realized that the jounin had just used the last of all of his energy to feed his dogs.

The pack disappeared in eight poofs and Iruka hurriedly walked over to help the ANBU up, wanting desperately to scold him like one of his students. Iruka decided to do just that, and hooked the ANBU's shoulder over his, "Do you have a death wish?! This destructive behavior is useless! How can such a high ranking ninja like yourself not care properly for themselves? You're acting like a depressed teenager." Iruka sighed when he received no reply and simply hoisted the other up, "I'm going to check your wounds, since truthfully you shouldn't even be moving." The brunette sighed, as he thought about the brief afternoon teaching session. He had been an idiot to let the advanced ninja harm himself further because of the belief the jounin was indestructible. It was foolish, the ANBU was every bit as human as he was and he was ticked at himself for forgetting that.

Kakashi thought over what Iruka had said, a depressed teenager? He had hit the nail on the head about the depressed part, the other half wasn't exactly spot on considering he was at least a couple of years older than the chunin. Kakashi gestured to the bathroom Iruka had been looking for and he soon found himself sitting on a ceramic seat and his shirt being carefully pulled off.

Normally Iruka would've been embarrassed but he was so focused he didn't have time for the feeling. He quickly scurried out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen to get the first-aid kit he'd been smart enough to bring. Iruka was back in record time to see the jounin still sitting quietly, only holding his book of make-out paradise. The brunette blushed slightly, and he got a wash cloth out to clean the wounds Kakashi had left un-bandaged the entire day, it was a miracle he hadn't started bleeding all over the place.

"Please leave these on this time, they really do help. I can redo them in the morning since I know it's a pain to wash in." Kakashi nodded lazily as he watched Iruka work carefully on the few stab wounds. He was a relatively quick healer so he never really needed to rest as much as most or quite frankly he was just to stubborn to give a shit about the condition of his body, pushing it to the limits so many times he was forced to have a caretaker. After Iruka was done wrapping gauze around basically the ANBU's entire chest he leaned back with a satisfied smirk and helped hoist the other up. Kakashi led them to the bedroom which hadn't been exactly cleaned in a while judging by the dust. Kakashi ignored the dust and headed straight for the bed containing only a comforter.

Iruka looked around for wherever the pillow could be and frowned when he didn't find one. "I'll be back tomorrow morning and I'll have you know I'll be pissed if I find you dead on the floor somewhere. So pissed off in fact I'll somehow manage to bring you back from the dead just so I can kill you myself." Kakashi chuckled, not at Iruka, but from the way the brunette seemed to prickle at the laugh it seemed he was misunderstood again.

"I'm sorry sensei, I wasn't laughing at you. I just found it funny that I would most likely die in some random place."

"How is that funny?" Kakashi shrugged, smiling that fake coy smile behind his mask. Iruka examined him before turning to leave. He looked over his shoulder for the final time, "I'll be back tomorrow morning." Iruka closed the door behind him and Kakashi could tell the brunette's presence was no longer there after a few seconds.

The ANBU took off his mask and let it fall somewhere onto the bed. His wounds had a constant dull throbbing and the ache of his body did nothing to make him off guard. Even as he was lying in the bed in his own home he would never let his guard down. It happened once before, rouge ninja sneaking into his house while he was unawares and that was a mistake he wasn't willing to repeat. Even with his worn out body he couldn't let himself sleep, knowing if he did there would only be nightmares. He took out his book and fully prepared himself to reread the masterpiece for the millionth time.

…

"Ne, Iruka-sensei, do you know that man from earlier?" Iruka turned to see Naruto guzzling down his third bowl of ramen. It was late and Iruka had already eaten with the ANBU, but for Naruto it was never to late or early to eat ramen. Iruka had been surprised to find the boy sitting outside his door when he got home from taking care of the ANBU. Seeing the lonely boy made him forget about the earlier punishment of no ramen.

"No, I can't really say that I do. Honestly, I don't know what to think of him." Naruto grinned, "I like him! He's one of the only people that has been nice to me. One day when I'm Hokage both he and you will be my servants!"

"You want to make the people that were nice you, your servants?" Naruto blinked confusedly. Iruka laughed wholeheartedly, finally allowing himself to truly relax for the first time since he'd been in the ANBU's presence. He patted Naruto on the head, ruffling his blond hair, "I'll follow you wherever you go Naruto, I believe in you." Naruto beamed, "Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" The boy spun off his chair and ran away from the shop.

"Wait, Naruto! Where are you going?!" Iruka sighed when he found no sight of the blond and paid for the boy's ramen. He thanked the cook who stayed past closing time to make Naruto the ramen.

"Anything for my top two customers!" Teuchi replied. Iruka smiled and thanked him again before exiting the shop. He thought back to the legendary ANBU, 'Why would such a great man not take care of himself?' Iruka had seen the total disregard for health, even allowed it and that made him angry at himself. He bit his lip and continued his walk, 'How could I have been so stupid? He was injured, bleeding almost to death in front of me and then I let him teach a class of kids the very next day!'

Iruka hadn't meant to be so snappy in front of the ANBU, generally he was a very calm, level-headed person, but when he was taken from his home to care for a very uncaring ANBU who had no regard for his own life he lost control of his temper. Finding out exactly how much the ANBU didn't care about his own life based on his house had ticked him off even more. Iruka was getting peeved just thinking about it. He got attached very easily, and when he did whether they were friend or foe he couldn't stand not helping them. Thus, why he became a teacher rather than continuing to go farther in his ninja career. Iruka made his way back home and trudged into his small home. He still had no idea how the trap on his window was broken, that made Iruka more paranoid than ever, someone had managed to break into his home. Iruka was by no means weak and there was no way he would not put fairly strong traps for his home. Maybe it was that ANBU that had been sent to pick him up. Who was he kidding, of course it was some type of ANBU, they didn't just let anyone care for their people. To think he had actually attacked one when they had come to take him away. He sighed, Cat would have been fully in the right for killing him for that stunt.

Iruka pinched the the bridge of his nose, he really had to stop being so negative about things, it never helped. He laid down on his worn out couch and sighed, he still had to grade his students papers. Iruka slowly got back up and rubbed his eyes, he skimmed over Sasuke paper before marking the A+ at the top like usual, he continued the process until he got to Naruto's. He forced himself to look at the paper with only half answered questions and grade honestly marking a D- at the top. Iruka sighed, knowing exactly what the boy was going through. He laid back down in hopes of getting some sleep before he had to return to grading.

Iruka's eyes shot open as a shrill alarm pierced the air. He spun around, still disorientated and confused. Iruka ran to the room to shut the alarm clock off and cursed when he saw the time. It was 7:00 A.M and he still hadn't finished grading and completed his lesson plan for the week. He ran an irritated hand through his messy hair that had somehow escaped his ponytail while he slept. Iruka quickly gathered his things in his arms and reset his traps. He ran to the jounin's house, hoping that something catastrophic hadn't happened while he was away.

Iruka rung the doorbell twice, tapping his foot anxiously, he still had stuff to complete. The jounin opened the door but seconds later, and lazily trudged back to the couch where he had left his book.

"Good morning, sleep well?"

"I don't usually sleep," came the slow reply. The ANBU flipped a page of his porn, "You're off to a late start. From what I know you're usually at the school by this time." Iruka shrugged and looked at him, "How much do you know?"

"Enough," the jounin drawled. Iruka frowned but said nothing, and proceed to cook breakfast while under the scrutiny of the ANBU. He wasn't fooled by the book, sure the ANBU could be reading it, but Iruka could feel the eyes trained on his back. Iruka worked quickly and efficiently getting the meal ready in only ten minutes. He quickly set a piece of toast down, a bowl of miso, and a small piece of fish. The ANBU closed his book and walked towards the table.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei."

Iruka turned away and shoved the food down his throat much like Naruto would. He finished in minutes and gathered his things, not looking towards the ANBU. "I'll be back for lunch. Sorry for leaving so quickly, I'm late."

Iruka left for the school leaving a bemused jounin. Kakashi had been watching the brunette since he had stepped foot in his house. Iruka hadn't even had the time to comb his hair properly, or change out of the clothes he had so obviously worn and slept in the day before.

"I'll see you soon," he drawled to no one in particular. Kakashi liked the sound of that coming from the chunin, a little more than he would have liked to admit.


	5. Chapter 5

Iruka was out of sorts to say the least, his whole situation recently was confusing. Even more so after he'd been sniffed up by a pack of dogs and introduced as the ANBU's caretaker. Now he felt even more responsibilty for the other after seeing just how much the ANBU could care less about himself. He spaced out occasionally thinking of the best way to deal with the ANBU, while he was in the middle of teaching! Luckily Sakura kept him on track and he made it to lunch with some struggle, he was acting like Shikamaru with the amount of daydreaming he was doing during class.

When it was time for Iruka to go fix the very cause of all his recent problems some lunch, a student stopped him for help with a topic he had no idea of understanding, not even the basics, Kiba and math just didn't mix. In fact the only reason Kiba had approached him was because his mother would scold him a new one if he didn't start passing class and Kiba being able to pass without help would be a miracle.

Iruka had no way of contacting the ANBU, but he was worried that if the man missed another meal he would go back for dinner and find him dead on the floor. That kind of death was not suiting for the mysterious pervert. Kiba took a seat at his desk while he munched on a PB-J waiting for Iruka to explain stuff. Iruka decided to make a clone to send to the ANBU, it was the only thing he could come up with on such short notice. Kiba gasped when all of a sudden there were two of his teacher, but Iruka paid him no mind and sent his clone on the mission of feeding the ANBU.

"Now Kiba, what do you need help with?" Kiba shrugged, "I don't really know. Mommy told me to talk with you during lunch and here I am."

"Did she say what about?" Another shrug and Iruka decided a full review of math would be best. It was hard to teach simplify the geometry behind the trajectory of a kunai to make it understandable to a second grader and concentrate on keeping enough chakra to support the clone going out of the usual range clones usually went. Kiba watched in silence as he continued to eat the remaining bits of lunch and try to understand what the lesson was about.

Before long the lunch bell rang and students began flooding into the classroom while Kiba began cleaning up his mess with a slightly clearer version of second grade math. He was a smart boy when he tried, that was the problem, he didn't try. Iruka's chakra was running out but he didn't want to dismiss his clone until he was sure he had managed to shove food down Hound's gullet. Missing his own lunch didn't help much either, but he would make it work. He smiled and welcomed the students back to class and told them to take their seats so he could start class.

Naruto was even more trouble after lunch and he had the worst time keeping his concentration on the clone with the little fireball, especially since he was hyped up more than usual. Some how he managed until he was sitting at his desk taking a quick break while the students did their work. He released his jutsu and the memories of lunch came flooding back.

Almost nothing happened. He went, cooked, and helped with the bandages until Hound retired to his room and left his clone waiting in the living room until dismissed. Well, at least Hound ate food, he wasn't too sure since he never actually saw the man eat but he could only assume the food disappeared into the man's stomach. Iruka leaned back in his chair and cleared his mind so that he could only focus on the task at hand. Once done he leaned forward and smiled at the class, "Does anyone need help?"

…

Several hours later after grading papers he trudged to his late night job of working at the Missions Office. Mizuki was beside him griping about how life as a teacher sucked and that his class would do so much better than Iruka's since they were all rich and could afford private tutors. Iruka laughed nervously at that, Mizuki was the closest thing to a friend he had, and to be honest he wasn't the nicest of people. Still, he liked to see the good in others and ignored all of the nasty comments Mizuki threw his way.

"We'll have to see, my class has a couple of riff-rats, but they're all smart even if they need some extra help." Mizuki scoffed, "Iruka, Iruka," he chided. "Your class is full of nothing but useless brats that will all end up getting killed because of their own stupidity. The only one with a chance is Sasuke and that's a given, he's an Uchiha." Iruka's eye twitched in irritation and his fists clenched at his sides, but he remembered who he was talking to and sighed.

"Don't say that Mizuki, they have big dreams. And with big dreams comes determination, I think they will go far." Mizuki clicked his tongue, "Naruto Uzumaki will never become Hokage no matter how much you believe in him." Iruka had had enough of dealing with Mizuki insulting him, "Not like any of those rich kids actually do their own work. I bet they will pay you to give them an A+ on their final exams." Iruka felt immediate regret, he actually insulted the kids for heaven's sake! He had sunk to Mizuki's level and doing so disappointed himself, he vowed never to do it again. Iruka stormed off ahead, ignoring the calls of the silver headed chunin. Luckily he didn't have to work at the Missions Office with Mizuki, he simply lived nearby. Good, because after what happened Iruka didn't feel like being with him after he let his temper get the better of him. Iruka sat down quickly in his chair next to the Hokage who eyed him suspiciously, "Is something wrong?"

The brunette smiled, "It's nothing, Hokage-sama, just got in a slight disagreement with Mizuki on the way." The old man nodded knowingly, "Mizuki," he said slowly, "has a unique outlook on things." Iruka nodded as he took a report from Kurenai, smiling up at the pretty woman.

"Good evening, Iruka-sensei." The brunette smiled even wider, Kurenai was always perfect with her reports, they were stellar. He never had to hunt her down for reports that looked like they were written by his students. They had eventually gotten on talking terms whenever they met at the office.

"You're looking dazzling as always Kurenai-san. And after a three-day mission, does nothing faze you?" She smiled politely, "Thank you, Iruka-sensei. I however am in need of a goods night rest, so I must be going." He smiled and waved her off. Her cool demeanor was always relaxing and had managed to calm him down in a matter of seconds by simply talking to him with her silky voice. No, he did not have a crush on her, but she was an extremely gorgeous female jounin, he would admit that much.

Iruka looked up at the person who stood in front of him and came up blank as to who he was. That was weird, he thought he knew every ninja in town. He smiled anyways, "Hello, what can I do for you...uh.." The man stood in front of him with his posture slouched, hands in pockets, and a nearly complete masked off face. He was a jounin, surprisingly, with abnormal spiked up silver hair that reminded him of his earlier altercation with Mizuki.

"Kakashi Hatake." He drawled as he took a scroll out of his pocket and dropped it on the desk instead of handing it to Iruka. The brunettes eye twitched, already disliking the person in front of him, what was it with people that had silver hair and their egos? He picked up the report and unrolled it to reveal nothing but chicken scratch, hell, it even had a doodle!

Sarutobi leaned back and watched the interaction in silence, exhaling some smoke from is pipe. Iruka rubbed his forehead not understanding a word on the paper. He looked up at 'Kakashi Hatake', "Uh, is this perhaps a joke?"

"That's my report from my last mission. I forgot to hand it in." Sarutobi chuckled and Iruka frowned, eyebrows creased together and eyes narrowed, "This was due two months ago!" Kakashi shrugged, "I've been busy," he drawled. He tapped his fingers on the desk in front of Iruka, "Maa~ Why don't you just let it go? It's only a formality anyways." Iruka's mouth opened by the sheer amount of audacity the jounin had in front of the Hokage! He slammed his hands down, "Have some respect! You are in the presence of the Hokage! Don't forget your place! Reports are filled out by everyone, even jounin!"

The jounin smiled, well at least Iruka thought he did by his singular eye forming an upside down crescent moon. "I think you should follow the very words you preach." Iruka turned red, not from embarrassment, he was livid. So what if the other was higher level than him?! He chose to be a teacher! His rank didn't make him any less capable of doing his job than others! Iruka glared at the singular eye, "Never the less Hatake-san, the report is unfit to be accepted. Please redo it."

"Sorry, no can do. I don't really remember what happened. See, I suffered a concussion and lost my memory." He shrugged and anybody could tell he was full of bullshit.

"You seriously can't remember anything?" Kakashi shook his head and Iruka sighed and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as he rubbed his forehead to calm himself. He looked at Sarutobi who was watching them with amusement and sighed once again. He already knew he was a softy, he apparently had a reputation amongst the jounin for chewing their asses like no other, but still giving them extra time or slack on reports. They came to him when they need more time and this jounin was probably like any other who most likely got in the line knowing Iruka would cut him slack.

Iruka held up one finger, "This time and only this time I'll let it go. However if you try and turn in another report like this," Iruka waved the paper and pointed at the doodle for emphasis, "I'll have your head on a platter." Kakashi chuckled, a deep baritone that seemed to come from deep within his chest, "Thank you, sensei."

Iruka waved him off in annoyance, mainly because he didn't feel like chatting with him any longer and he still had other work to do. Sarutobi chuckled, "He really did suffer from some major injuries on that mission. He's been in recovery until now." Iruka looked at the old man, getting the feeling the old man wasn't being a hundred percent truthful with him, but he would never say that out loud to the Hokage. Iruka made a mental note to remember the appearance of the jounin and the name. Kakashi Hatake, what a weird name.

Work passed fairly quickly and his shift ended around six-thirty so he was just in time to head back and make dinner for the ANBU. Quite frankly he was starving. Iruka had managed to hold out all day without his stomach grumbling but now just the thought of food had his mouth watering. He put his hand on his empty stomach, he honestly had no idea how the ANBU managed to survive without eating a proper meal for presumably weeks. Iruka didn't eat lunch and he was already on the verge of starving to death.

Iruka walked up the stairs up to the ANBU's apartment and knocked of the door three times. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear as the door opened. Iruka smiled at the masked man, "Sorry about being a little late, things at the office got busy the closer my shift came to an end."

Silence.

"I'll just make dinner and I'll be out of your hair." The ANBU walked away and sat down on the couch, porn held out in front of him. Iruka rolled his eyes, the other was grown, he could do whatever he wanted, that didn't mean he had to agree with it though. He went straight into the kitchen, smiling when all of the leftovers, AKA his portion of lunch, was eaten. Good, that was a good sign. He took out a skillet with a cutting board and he cut up a series of vegetables and chicken, tonight's dinner was one of his personal favorites, chicken stir-fry. It didn't take long for a curious ANBU to poke his head in the kitchen to see what was being made.

Iruka giggled, and added stir-fry to the list of things the ANBU seemed to like enough to eat. That and apparently the omurice from lunch. Iruka got out a set of clean plates he'd bought the day before since the ANBU had none. He evenly divided the portions before he walked over to the couch and set the plates down on the only table the other seemed to own. Iruka went back into the kitchen and returned with silverware before he picked up his plate and situated himself on the couch so that he was staring at a wall rather than the ANBU.

"I take it work was hard," Came a deep voice from behind. It sounded familiar, he rolled his eyes, of course it was familiar, he had heard the ANBU speak before, duh. Iruka shook his head, "I had a student in need of help at lunch that was why I had sent a clone. Did you get enough rest? You went straight to your room."

Silence.

Iruka continued eating his food, noting that sleep seemed to be a touchy subject. He'd have to be careful about what he said around the man.

…

Kakashi paused in his eating when Iruka asked him about sleep. He didn't want to say that he had ditched the clone in the living room and left through the window of his own room to see what had happened to the original. No matter how he looked at it in different perspectives, it still seemed creepy so he decided to stay quiet. In truth he had stalked the teacher all through out the day after lunch. Lazily watching from a tree or rooftop when he thought his position had been compromised by a daydreaming student.

Of course he would have never been seen, he was an ANBU for a reason but it never hurt to be sure. He had also been trailing behind in the shadows when he witnessed the fight between Mizuki and Iruka. Kakashi didn't have many true friends, but the ones he did had never once treated him like that and at the time his hand had come dangerously close to throwing a senbon into the vital spot on Mizuki's neck to shut him up for good. Iruka had taken all of his insults with a smile until he insulted Naruto, pushing him over his limit of niceness.

Kakashi could tell that Iruka had immediately felt guilty for what he said, he was good at reading people. Mizuki however had cursed him to the depths of hell after the brunette had fled the scene, once again his hand had been close to simply taking the other out after what he promised to do to Iruka after he had walked away. Now he had a good reason to watch out for the other. Mizuki was a walking time bomb and Kakashi had a feeling that he wouldn't be forgetting what Iruka had said anytime soon.

He had also been pleased with how Iruka had acted he made his appearance in front of him, strong-willed and feisty, he would never cease to be amused by how Iruka adapted to situations. Iruka had enough guts to tell a jounin off, and enough kindness to forgive said person in a matter of seconds. Though honestly he had really helped Kakashi out with the report he'd honestly forgotten to turn in.

The Hokage had of course known why he chose to show his face and the knowing look on his face had never left his face until Kakashi left. Iruka failed to notice while he fumed to himself after the jounin had put him in his place, not because he cared, he could care less about rank, simply because he liked pushing buttons.

The two ate in silence and Kakashi made plans to follow Iruka after breakfast the next morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Iruka ran to the ANBU's house, stuffing numerous manila folders in the crease where his arm met his chest. He was late, yet again, and he was afraid it would start to become an increasingly bad habit. Things for him had just been out of wack since he met the ANBU and it wasn't getting any better. He knocked on the door lightly so as not to wake the ANBU up and frowned when the door opened and he was greeted by a halfhearted wave. Iruka had yet to see the ANBU asleep since the day he picked the other up from the side of the rode. Whenever he made a comment about it the ANBU would become deathly silent or change the topic immediately.

"Good Morning, sleep well?" Iruka nudged himself past the other and set his files for the Missions Office on the coffee table before entering the kitchen, knowing he would not receive a reply. The ANBU sat in his usual spot on the couch holding up the usual book from the series. How many books were even in that blasted series anyways? Iruka cooked up a simple breakfast, something that could be made in the span of a couple of minutes, eggs and toast. He set it down on the tables and moved the files out of the way.

Iruka ate his food quickly and put his plate in the sink to return just in time for the ANBU to re-mask himself. The ANBU took off his shirt and Iruka took out the first-aid kit that was left by the sofa. Iruka took his time re-bandaging the chest covered in scars. He smiled softly to himself, "These wounds are healing so quickly it's amazing! You should be able to start training again in no time!" The ANBU remained silent and for the first time Iruka wondered if the other considered him boring.

It made sense. Iruka was a chunin level school teacher while the other had been and seen so many places and things it was understandable if Iruka's everyday life was boring. Still the brunette smiled, "Would you like to walk with me to the school? It must get boring being cooped up here all day and having to recover." Hound nodded and replaced his shirt once Iruka was done.

"It does get a tad mundane." Unbeknownst to the brunette Hound had already planned to at the very least stalk the teacher to the academy. He had also already started his training once again, but if he told Iruka that, he was sure to be scolded. The brunette smiled warmly teeth and all, "To tell you the truth I've been kind of worried lately. Sometimes during class I feel like someone is watching me."

"I do believe that is part of the job." Iruka laughed nervously, "You're right. It must be my imagination." Hound adjusted his mask on his face, truth be told he did lazily watch the teacher everyday starting after lunch while he trained in the morning. He also followed the brunette from the school to the Missions Office after what had happened with Mizuki the last time. He could not understand why the brunette would put up with the other, but he did.

"I'll check around just in case." Iruka relaxed at that, "Thank you. I can handle myself but If they were to come after the students..." He paused and scratched at the on the bridge of his nose, "Well, I prefer not to think about it." Hound put his hands in his pockets, while he did watch out for Iruka the other shouldn't have been able sense his eyes. He was famous for his assassination techniques and there was no one who had ever sensed him before. So one of two things had to be the answer; 1. Iruka had phenomenal sensory skills or 2. He wasn't the only one watching the school.

The walk to the school was silent as the ANBU considered telling Iruka he did in fact sneak out of his house everyday to stalk him. He sighed, his social skills were low but he knew most people didn't take to kindly to being stalked by a killer. Iruka awkwardly waved him goodbye when they arrived and Kakashi found himself wondering if perhaps he should have made light conversation. He shrugged and jumped onto the roof opposite of the school where he had perfect view of Iruka's class.

Kakashi lazily inspected the area, not finding anything particularly suspicious at the moment but he didn't rule anything out. Genjutsu was common when someone meant to conceal themselves so anything he saw could be simply an illusion. His chakra level was still considerably low but it wasn't as if he would end up nearly passing out again, hopefully. Kakashi put his hands together, "Release!" To his surprise he could see the area change. Kakashi observed the area until he found someone lurking in the bushes. He was behind the enemy nin with a kunai to the other's throat so fast the enemy nin didn't even have time to draw a weapon.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kakashi smiled behind his mask as the others hand stilled at the weapons pouch. "Now do you want to tell me why a mist deserter is stalking a school teacher?" The other put his hands up in surrender, "S-someone paid me to rough him up a bit when I had a chance." Hound dug the kunai deep into the enemy nin's throat, making a thin line of blood trickle from the slice. "Who?"

"I don't know! H-he wouldn't tell me his name!"

"What did he look like?" The other shrugged, "It was dark and he had on a hood." Hound was tempted to twist the others head and break his neck but that would be pointless. Bottom line, someone hired a nameless assassin and allowed them to enter the village. Kakashi frowned and gave the other a swift chop to the back of the neck, knocking him out. He picked the body up and tossed the nin over his shoulder and walked over to the window and tapped lightly on the glass.

Iruka nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight he was met with. He hurriedly crossed the room and opened the window quickly. Kakashi smiled at Iruka when the other stepped back in surprise, but it was unseen behind his mask.

"So, there really was someone watching," Iruka exclaimed.

"Apparently so." Iruka cleared his throat as curious kids watched the interaction, "Well, thank you for believing me." Kakashi nodded and adjusted the body on his shoulder, "I'll look out for you from now on." Iruka blushed, "T-thank you." Kakashi smirked, now he didn't have to hide when he observed how the others well being was.

"I'll warn the other teachers," the ANBU said simply and Iruka smiled and said one last thank you. Kakashi nodded before he jumped onto the roof and walked to the side of the building he knew Mizuki taught. When the ANBU tapped on his glass window with his captive Mizuki's reaction was a mix of surprise and rage at the same time. He concealed it quickly with a fake smile as he opened the window.

"I just thought I'd let the other teachers know I caught someone lurking around the school," Kakashi said simply. Mizuki's smile faltered for a millisecond, "Your reputation precedes you sir Hound. I don't know what this village would do without you."

Kakashi stood there momentarily simply observing Mizuki face to face, "There are a few weasels in every village that would do something like hiring a thug to terrorize school teachers. I'm just thankful I caught him before something bad happened." Mizuki's eye twitched, "I have a class to teach," he said angrily and closed the window on the ANBU. Kakashi left knowing it was most likely Mizuki who hired an enemy nin to kill Iruka.

…

"What have we here?" Kakashi took off his mask as he knelt in front of the Third Hokage, "A thug hired to presumably kill Iruka-sensei." Sandaime took a puff from his pipe before exhaling slowly, smoke filling the air. "Who would want to kill Iruka?"

"Mizuki." The Third nodded, "I take it there is no evidence to back up that claim?" Kakashi smiled lazily, "None whatsoever." The Third chuckled, "Please watch out for him. He is loved by many and he carries an important role in this village."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"Dismissed." Kakashi slowly stood up to leave when The Third cleared his throat, "Don't over exert yourself before you're fully healed."

"Maa~ You worry to much." The Third waved him off and this time Kakashi made it to the door. A chunin passed him in the hall to presumably take the unconscious man to jail. The lazy jounin had time to kill, but he needed to watch out for the Iruka so he made his way back to the school.

…

It was halfway through lunch when Iruka first spotted the ANBU lazily reading on a tree across from the window. Still hidden but noticeable enough Iruka could see him. Iruka opened the window, "Have you eaten lunch yet? I brought an extra sandwich."Iruka stepped back when the ANBU appeared in front of him in seemingly less than a second, "Y-your speed is formidable Hound-sama." Kakashi easily took the proffered PB&J out of the teacher's hands.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei. I learned from the best." Kakashi left it at that before casually leaning down onto his elbows on the window pane. Talking about his dead sensei was still a touch subject so he opted for a change. "I will be sent on a new mission this week," he said a matter of factly. Kakashi always had a three-four day recovery period and at least a week before the sent him on possible suicide missions.

"That's outrageous! Your wounds have only just now began to scab!" Kakashi chuckled, "I don't think they'll send me on an SS mission right off the bat, probably something simple like an S or A rank." Iruka's eyebrows furrowed, "I've never heard of an SS mission before." Kakashi waved it off, "Maa~ It's not something a chunin would know about." Iruka's eye twitched and he crossed his arms, "I've been on S- rank missions before! It's not like since I'm a chunin I haven't done important missions! Besides I'm a teacher, I should know all about the mission ranks and I just found out there was one I didn't know about, it has nothing to do with rank!"

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, and there it was, Iruka's feisty side. "Maa~ Forgive me Iruka-sensei, I didn't mean it like that. SS missions are only given to ANBU, thus why a chunin wouldn't know." Iruka's face heated up like a furnace and he his face away and cleared his throat.

"I apologize for snapping at you." Iruka scratched at his scar, "It's just so many look down on me because of my rank."

"Why did you never become a jounin?" Iruka smiled, "I decided long ago that fighting wasn't for me. I always struggled in the final moment." He chuckled lightly, "Everyone has something they're good at, teaching is what I decided to do." Kakashi simply stared at Iruka, indifferent.

"What an anomaly, a ninja who doesn't kill." Iruka chuckled, "I know, pretty weird." Kakashi wondered if maybe he hadn't been involved in the war how he would have turned out. Would he have still been the same emotionless killer he was? Iruka struggled to take a life, while he could take a life at the smallest irritation. The tattoo on his arm burned and he sighed, "Excuse me Iruka-sensei, I'm being summoned."

"So soon? But you're still recovering!" The urge to pet Iruka to calm him was overwhelming, he was around dogs to often. Kakashi let a small smile grace his features, "I'll be back soon, hopefully."And then he left, appearing in ANBU headquarters moments later, mask off, and eating his PB&J, though behind the sandwich you could still not see the rest of his face.

"I see your angel has been feeding you well." Kakashi replaced his ANBU mask when he was done with the sandwich, The Head observing quietly for a glimpse of the illusive masked man's face. Unfortunately for him, Kakashi had never left anyone see his true face in all his years and he wasn't about to slack off anytime soon. "I take it the angel has nurtured your wounds as well." Kakashi spread his arms dramatically, "He fell from heaven! Such a kind soul."

The Head tapped his fingers lightly on the desk and leaned back in his chair, "Are you healed?" Kakashi shrugged, mood changing drastically from playful to serious in a second, "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Good," The Head picked up a scroll containing an S-ranked mission. Kakashi picked it up, reading the scroll and memorizing it in a second with his eye. Inside entailed a detailed description of how he was to get to the village hidden in the mist and slay one of the lords by whichever method. "How's Pig?"

"Better." Kakashi nodded as he rolled the scroll up and put it in his weapons pouch. He had two weeks on a solo mission to assassinate Lord Fukitachi of Lighting Country for his crime of stolen weapons and embezzlement of money from the Leaf village.

The mission itself would be accomplished relatively easy due to the fact he met the man before when he was an undercover guard for the Hokage. Lord Fukitachi was an obsessively overweight man, with rolls you could probably find treasure in. He had beady eyes and wore nothing but the finest silks to flaunt his wealth, along with a countless number of gaudy rings. It would be easy to simply poison him and make it look like a heart attack.

Kakashi already had an idea what kind of poison would be ideal to use, one of the Aburame clan's hidden specialty, a poison derived of the toxins from a rare spider local to only the Fire Country. He stood there, hands in pockets already figuring out the quickest way to sneak into the Village Hidden in the Clouds. It would take him at least four days to get there, one-two days to assassinate Fukitachi, and another four on the way back totaling around ten days. Kakashi scratched the back of his head, sighing softly, "I'm running low on supplies."

"The armory has new armor, a bottle of pills, a blanket, and two weapons pouches waiting for you. Ask for anything you think will be sufficient." Kakashi nodded, he already had the poison stashed away in an outlier hut near the border where he kept anything of value. He had his own mini armory of weapons he kept from his travels. Kakashi was almost a collector of foreign weapons and poisons that any assassin could appreciate. He had also received a bountiful supply from the Aburame clan for saving one of their kin, Centipede. Kakashi received a lot of unique things like a specialized kunai from the Nara clan that if aimed at a shadow the person is paralyzed and he can make a quick kill, completely reusable, he had twenty. He'd also recently received specialized pills from the Akimichi clan, but he would never use them, but still they were nice to have.

Kakashi himself had never had to repay some until recently with his nicknamed Angel. Iruka would probably kill him, or at least try, if he ever found out everyone in ANBU now secretly knew him as Kakashi's guardian angel. Iruka was definitely probably confused as to why most every jounin would grin at him like they knew something he didn't. He could picture the confusion on the brunette's face as he smiled back at them.

Kakashi left the room to go to the armory, wondering if he should say goodbye. That's what regular people would do right? Say goodbye to their, friend? He really needed to take a lesson on socialization skills because then he wouldn't be so confused as to what was normal. Well, Kakashi was never one for goodbye's they were usually always foreshadowing something. He was also not known for being normal so he decided he'd leave as soon as he got his pack of things.

Which was exactly what he did. It was different knowing that someone might care if he didn't make it back. It made him, well, not really want to die. Wanting to live was a feeling that he'd forgotten long ago, until now.


	7. Chapter 7

The mission went south fast. Lord Fukitachi had information of sorts from every village, a true worm in the underground world. Someone tipped him off about an attempt to assassinate him, presumably by a newly hired bodyguard. Kakashi had made it to the audition where he would display his skills when every candidate was captured as a precaution. He went willingly and was placed in a solitude cell, tortured daily for three weeks.

The mission was still on, kill Lord Fukitachi and return to the Village Hidden in the Leaf. His identity was not compromised,of course, he'd abandoned his gear and mask and taken on a new identity. Kakashi didn't look like himself, he looked like a poor farmer from the small village not far from the Lord's residence. Kakashi's hair was brown from a non-permanent dye that would last three weeks and disappear, returning to the original color. His eyes were blue and matching and even his nose was different and he had a jagged scar near his chin.

No one knew who he was except that he came from the Village Hidden in the Sand. His torturer returned after a short lunch break because apparently torturing something that is already broken is strenuous. He wasn't Kakashi he was Hound and he had been that way for the past two and a half weeks. Hound remained still as his hair was grabbed from behind, strands being ruthlessly pulled from his scalp.

"Tell me who you are."

"Tenuka Seuchi of the Sand."

" 'Yer shittin' me." His hair was released and the man circled him, eying his every move. Hound was bored, he wanted to kill. He had to be strategic though because believe it or not he found some valuable information. " 'Yer from that damn Hisao clan. Ya see, my boss know what yer up to. We just want ta know where and when you'll attack." Hound said nothing, gazing absentmindedly. Isamu Hisao had been at the bottom of his bingo book for a while. Funny, how the name had come up several times now.

The man spat at his feet, "I think you need a nice bath." He clasped his hands together signing quickly before a water prison jutsu formed around his head. It was mediocre and only lasted up to 100 seconds each time. Hound didn't react and that disturbed the other each time.

The mission had been compromised because of a turf war between Hisao and Fukitachi. Apparently, the Leaf and Hisao shared the same views. The reasons, however, were different, Hisao wanted Fukitachi out of the way so he could presumably take over his role as the lead embezzler of funds from the Villages. Hound blinked when the water dropped over his body again for the seventy-second time.

The interrogation had gone on long enough and he had learned just about as much as the man in front of him knew.

Truth be told he had already planned for a situation like this when he staked out the area and found the holding grounds. Hound had been equipped with a senbon from day one, and finally used it when the other came closer. He had stabbed it through the eye with his bare foot and watch with boredom as the other groaned in pain before he finally died. Hound dislocated one of his shoulders so that his bound hands were in front of him than behind him like before. He grabbed a kunai from the dead man's pocket and cut the rope. Hound popped his shoulder back before he took the keys wrapped around the others belt and kindly let himself out.

He walked slowly out a found himself in familiar surrounding's. Hound walked into the woods where he'd hidden his equipment. He walked with a limp because his right foot has been broken in two places and he'd been stabbed several times in the left thigh. Torture was torture, Hound just had a higher tolerance. The ANBU made his way to the hidden gear slowly, stumbling occasionally, but otherwise normal.

Hound rested at the bottom of a tree stump when he arrived at the certain canopy of trees. He changed clothes, finding comfort in the fact they were clean and he had shoes. Hound ate several pills and administered some first aid to his wounds. The ANBU remained still until nightfall when he stood up and went to complete his mission.

…

Fukitachi did not make things easy for him, he was about as paranoid as an ANBU. Security was tripled and there was not a moment when he was alone. Hound watched carefully and waited for days before Fukitachi was finally alone. He did it quickly, forcing Fukitachi to inhale the poison through cloth whilst he was asleep. Fukictachi didn't even have time to scream before an induced heart attack claimed him.

Fukitachi however had enough time to press an alert button as twenty ninja came in seconds later. Hound fought them off, barely. The bodies lay littered across the room, the blood seeping into the carpet making it sticky. Limp arms fell by his side as his pack, covered in blood themselves, circled around him protectively. Hound roughly assessed the situation, he couldn't move his arms, but he had enough chakra to fuel his pack for another hour at least.

"We need to move," he said simply and then they were breaking out off a window, no doubt alerting the rest of the house if they hadn't already. The pack moved swiftly at a pace most ninja couldn't keep up with healthy, let alone injured. Hound kept up though, not falling behind and Pakkun noticed how worse for wear his master truly was. He stayed behind when the rest disappeared and Hound didn't say a word.

Hound remained unfeeling as he landed on his feet each time he jumped from tree to tree. The two had been in the same situation countless times, traveling together in a life or death situation where normal people would have given up already. Pakkun worried constantly over whether he would have to find a new master, but he could smell a change. Hound was driven by something and he wasn't going to stop until he reached his goal.

The primal need to live had taken over as he surged forward at a pace Pakkun was having trouble keeping up with. The pug saw a change in his master's eyes, before he disappeared, knowing somehow his master would make it. Hound crossed the border not evening bothering with stealth anymore. He would kill anything that blocked his way. The ANBU made his way back to the Village, body so hurt he couldn't even feel it. Hound stumbled several times, even falling after stepping on a weak branch.

The ANBU landed with finesse and expertise, however it sent bolts of pain through his entire leg. He broke his ankle but continued on anyways. The was pace immensely slower and frankly not good enough.

Hound was not deterred by something like a broken ankle and sped up once again. The ANBU passed through the gates like a flash and went straight to the Missions office he knew Iruka would be. The killer shoved off anyone who tried to help, especially Gai, who had unfortunately been there as well. Being a Taijustu master was the only thing that had stopped him from having his neck twisted. Hound one-upped the ninja with a swift chop from one of the injured arms.

Iruka stood up in shock at the scene he'd just witnessed. The Third Hokage tensed in his chair as he continued to smoke his pipe when Hound neared. Iruka gulped, the ANBU had taken out one of the most skilled jounin when he looked like he could barely walk. Hound stopped in front of the brunette, leaning closer than what was comfortable, inspecting him. He turned to the Hokage, "Mission Complete." The body locked suddenly and collapsed on itself, taking his consciousness with it.

Asuma, Genma, and Raido witnessed the entire scene and for a moment were too stunned to move as they saw Iruka leap hurriedly over the desk to the ANBU's aid. Genma smirked and picked up the limp body from off of the floor before Iruka could touch him. Iruka opened his mouth to tell him off but Genma held his hand up and silenced him.

"Sorry about that, Angel. I want to say it happens, but it doesn't. He'll be at the hospital, but you don't know his name so I would wait until he finds you again." He felt the other shift in his arms and frowned taking on a more serious tone than usual. "I have a feeling that won't be too long." Gai woke to seeing his friend being carried out and recovered faster than Iruka had ever seen. They all followed Genma out and Iruka clutched his hands into fists.

The Hokage chuckled as someone started to clean the blood from the floor up. Iruka's brow twitched and looked at the old man questioningly. The Third took a drag from his pipe exhaling slowly, "It's been years since I've seen that boy with such drive." The old man looked at him with wisdom and he knew instantly the Hokage knew something he didn't. Recently it seemed like they all did. Iruka was beyond irritated for the rest of the night. It had been almost a month since he had last seen the ANBU and when he finally appeared again he was half dead! He had the urge to ask the Hokage, but he highly doubted the old man would give up the identity of the village's secret weapon to him.

That meant he had to wait. Iruka was usually a patient man, unless it was something personal. Iruka clenched his fists as he sat down to work, noticing the knowing smirks he was given by each jounin every time they handed in a report.

"He'll be okay," said Kurenai. "He's a strong man. Now he has something to live for." She smiled at him as he checked her Mission Report. Iruka nodded as he handed her another mission scroll, "Good Luck," he said absentmindedly. Kurenai chuckled, "I feel better. After all I was blessed by the Angel."

Iruka looked at her, "What?"

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei, pardon my manners I couldn't help it." The Hokage grinned and Iruka was starting to slowly get pissed off, were they seriously mocking him?

"Calm down, Iruka. They are not making fun of you, leave it at that." The brunette opened his mouth but the Third simply shook his head to quiet him. Kurenai smiled softly and his anger diminished knowing she hadn't meant to offend him. Iruka sat back in his seat, arms crossed, "Why do they call me Angel, Hokage-sama?" He received no reply.

…

Kakashi awoke in the Hospital, tense and alert that he couldn't move his body. He relaxed only slightly when he noticed Genma, Asuma,Raido, and Gai. Asuma shushed him before he could attempt using his vocal chords. Hospitals were the only time you could see him without a cigarette in his mouth.

"We already know what you are going to ask. You don't remember anything, do you?" Kakashi shook his head, the only thing he remembered was the need to survive. Asuma nodded and let Genma retell the story, seeing as he was the one who found the whole thing to be entertaining.

"Well you walked into the Mission's Office half dead, knocked Gai out cold and then collapsed in front your angel and the Hokage. Nobody really knows how you were able to move or really even get there. The nurse says it will be at least two weeks before you'll be released. You're just lucky Lady Tsunade happens to be visiting otherwise it would be longer. Kakashi sighed, he hated hospitals. Normally he could talk his way out or escape, but honestly he couldn't even move his body.

Gai had tears flowing down his face, "What a passionate display of love and youth! I will never forget this for my entire life, my friend! I am touched and honored to be bested by such passion! My tears overflow just thinking about the way you looked at the Angel!"

Kakashi ignored him, "Is he...injured?"

It was Raido's turn to speak, "If you are asking whether or not you attacked him then the answer is no." Kakashi relaxed, so the only one he hurt was Gai. Gai was still spewing nonsense about passion, youth, and love so he obviously didn't care. "I think the only thing Iruka-sensei was upset about was that now every ANBU/ Jounin calls him Angel. He didn't know they watched him while you were gone."

"Who?"

"Cat, Toad, Centipede, Shadow, and Raven all took care of him. They told of their observations to everyone at headquarters. Watching Iruka has become sort of a pass time for everyone. I don't think there's any ANBU who hasn't watched him at least just to see who he is. Centipede and Raven caught two enemy nin within the first week and Shadow caught one last weekend."

Kakashi frowned underneath the sheet that politely covered half of his face. Iruka had been targeted after all. He should do everyone a favor a kill the traitor before he killed anyone else.

"It was not Mizuki. Someone wants to kill Iruka for whatever reason." The Jounin took on a more serious tone, even Gai.

"I've seen it myself! Someone terrible is targeting Angel!" Kakashi absorbed the information with a calm mind. It was possible that the two missing ninja from before were not hired by Mizuki. Unbeknownst to him Iruka had become somewhat of a symbol amongst the ANBU. No one could kill innocent people without being broken. Iruka had the ability to seemingly rebuild and mend broken pieces.

"I saw him dutifully glue a shattered vase back together for hours! It was truly astonishing! He truly fell from heaven!" Gai's tears flowed down his face as he gave Kakashi a toothy grin and a thumbs up. There was no doubt in his mind that someone else had been he cause of the broken vase. They were testing him, and so far Iruka was quickly becoming their idol. Kakashi truthfully didn't know how he felt about it.

"Iruka, is a diamond amongst us. He's pure." The room fell into silence. Everyone was attaching themselves to seemingly the only source of light they had. Tsunade burst into the room with four training nurses following her like ducklings while they could witness her brilliance in action. She eyed him from across the room while dramatically flipping one of her ponytails. Tsunade snatched the board with his file one it from one of the nurses before tossing it back.

"Brat, why is it that every time I see you, you have a death wish?" Kakashi would have shrugged if he could move. She glared at him before she took a chug of sake she'd hidden god knows where. Tsunade walked over to him heals clacking sharply against the tile. She closed her eyes, she still couldn't stand the sight of blood. Kakashi knew that she was probably only there because of a debt to the Lord Hokage.

Tsunade put her hands on his chest, brows furrowing. "Brat, what did you do to yourself?" The question was irrelevant, she asked it every time she healed him. Tsunade knew exactly what was wrong with him. Several shattered ribs, torn tendons, four fractures between the two arms, a broken ankle, bruised kneecap, ripped tendons in the thigh, and a few minor lacerations, well, not a few there were at least eight.

Tsunade took her mind away from the blood by thinking of Kakashi as a bet of sorts. If she helped the brat out like always he would help her when she needed it. Her hands began to shake and she quickly stepped away from him, shaking like a leaf. Tsunade quickly washed her hands though there was nothing on them.

"Get to work! Don't you know who he is?" She barked out orders but didn't turn around again until Kakashi groaned at the feeling of his ribs being put back together with chakra. Tsunade pushed the girl out of the way and closed her eyes again. "Idiot! If you do it right it shouldn't hurt!" It was true the chakra had a numbing effect on the body making it the most efficient way to heal someone.

Truth be told it hadn't hurt, he just made the sound because he would much rather have Tsunade with her eyes closed than a newbie work on his chest. Kakashi had been in the situation far too many times and each had been unpleasant when newbies worked on him. Sometimes they didn't concentrate enough and leave a part out, it happened once. He hated hospitals, but he felt himself being lulled into sleep and this time he went willingly.


	8. Chapter 8

Over two weeks passed before Kakashi finally managed to seduce a nurse to falsify his papers so he could be released. He had felt healed enough since day two, but Tsunade was determined to heal every scratch on his body. Kakashi felt better than he had in a very long time, but at what price? He hadn't even touched a blade since he was admitted. Kakashi felt naked as he walked the streets to his home without any weapons, but he didn't risk trying to get them back from the hospital. Tsunade was a smart lady and he had no doubts she already knew of his escape.

Kakashi landed with ease on his rooftop, taking in his surroundings while he adjusted his ANBU mask. He frowned, noticing other familiar hidden chakras around his home. Kakashi slipped inside through his bedroom window without any trouble. He looked around and grabbed the kunai hidden under his pillow. Kakashi silently walked over and opened his door without making a sound. Someone, was in his house and there were ANBU lurking in the shadows outside. He crouched down and turned to look over his shoulder into the living room.

Light came from the windows above his couch to bask on a familiar sleeping brunette. Work was littered in messy piles on his coffee table and for once, his home actually looked lived in. Kakashi relaxed and put his kunai into his weapons pouch. He hadn't expected Iruka to be in his home, waiting for him. Kakashi walked behind the couch and looked out the windows before closing the curtains. The ANBU were getting out of control, to the point they were even spying on Iruka in his home. He was going to have to have a word with them later. Kakashi leaned over the couch and put his hand on the brunette's shoulder and gently shook.

"Iruka-sensei, Iruka-sensei," he called softly. The chunin stirred slowly awake, rubbing his eyes like a kid. His eyes widened significantly as he realized who was touching him.

"Hound-sama!" Iruka blurted out as he took in the shape of the mask. He sighed in relief, "Oh thank god. No one would tell me how you were doing and I couldn't come visit you," he rambled. "I'm glad you're okay."

Kakashi was stunned, no one had ever said that to him before. Those warm chocolate brown eyes were as radiant as the sun as they looked up at him. He smiled, not a fake one, or half amused smile, a genuine smile. Iruka sensed a change in atmosphere and became aware of his surroundings for the first time.

"Holy shi-eesh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to intrude! I just came here to check and see, so I let myself in like always, I shouldn't have. I'm sorry I didn't mean to be so rude, but it was so quiet that I just fell asleep." Iruka smiled softly, "It's just, something always seems to be happening at home." Kakashi held his hand up to stop Iruka's rambling, " It's quite all right Iruka-sensei. I understand."

Again Iruka's shoulders relaxed and that cute shy smile appeared on his face, with a pink hue to his cheeks. Kakashi frowned, the ANBU were going to far with their obsession if Iruka was uncomfortable in his own home. He really needed to have a word with them.

Cat abruptly appeared before them , "Iruka-san, Lord Hokage wishes to have a word with you." Iruka was stunned for a few moments before nodding, "I'll , uh, be right back." Kakashi could only nod as Iruka ran out the door. Kakashi turned to his kouhai, "What's this all about, Tenzo?"

"Lord Hokage wishes to see you immediately, as Kakashi." Kakashi raised a brow but Tenzo had disappeared before he could say anything. He scratched the back of his head before he went to his room to replace his gear with his regular jounin uniform. It was rare to be summoned by the Hokage as himself.

He was extremely late when he strolled through the doors into the Hokage's office. Kakashi was two and a half hours late, as a matter of fact. He had taken a leisurely stroll to the outskirts where his nifty little weapons shack was before returning at the same pace. To his surprise Iruka was there as well, with his arms crossed, silently fuming. Kakashi halfheartedly smiled, "I'm afraid a black cat crossed my path so I had to take a different route and got lost."

"Cut the crap, Kakashi-san." Kakashi frowned at Iruka's temper. What was he doing here anyways? The Third loudly coughed to purposely get their attention, chuckling once he had it.

"Now, Iruka, calm down. I will now explain the contents of the mission to Kakashi." Iruka huffed and put his hands on his hips, however he did not say another word. The Third took a long drag from his pipe before exhaling the toxic smoke.

"Iruka-sensei, has been specifically requested by Emperor Ryuzaki as a private tutor for his son Kato in a Foreign Teacher Exchange between the Leaf and the Mist. Of course the Mist are not our allies, but a compromise for an armistice for the span of three weeks makes this mission possible. Meanwhile they will send their best tutor here for Konohamaru in exchange. Your purpose in this mission is to guard Iruka and the secrets of the Leaf to the best of your abilities in case of a breach of contract. They expect you two within two days. Iruka-sensei has already packed while he was waiting."

Kakashi nodded, as he stared into the old man's eyes with his singular. Scratching his head as he opened the scroll the third handed him, a C- rank mission.

"Is this mission perhaps better suited for another Chunin?"

"Perhaps." The Third laced his hands together, silently daring Kakashi to defy him. Kakashi shrugged, who was he to complain about a break for special missions? He rolled his shoulders, for once, not feeling sore. However, wouldn't it be better for him to go on another special mission while he was in such great shape? It had to be that The Third thought he took to long with the last assassination. Or maybe he made a bigger scene than he thought he did in the Missions Office? He was told he only knocked Guy out, did he hurt anyone else?

"Don't fret, Kakashi. This will be a learning experience. You are dismissed." Kakashi had half the mind to ask what he was supposed to be learning, but Iruka was already going for the door. He shrugged as he saw the Old Man wave them off. Kakashi kept his distance as he walked behind Iruka. He observed the way Iruka's shoulders tensed each time a jounin passed him, muttering angel.

Apparently the hype had spread to every Jounin-ANBU as even Kurenai-san called him a blessed angel. Kakashi grinned as he saw Iruka's temper soar to levels he hadn't seen before. Genma and Raido waved them off, with smirks and winks. Kakashi frowned at that before Iruka turned to regard him for the first time since they left.

"Don't you need to pack?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I have enough weapons and pills to last me three weeks." Iruka sighed, "I don't know why, but I knew you would say that. Luckily enough for you, I packed food for the both of us and spare clothes in case." Kakashi nodded and decided it was safe enough to walk by Iruka's side. As soon as they were a good mile from the gates Iruka had had enough of the silence.

"Do you know why everyone calls me Angel?" Kakashi shrugged, pretending to think it over.

"You were once referred by an ANBU as that, and it sorta, well you know, stuck." Iruka sighed, defeated.

"Does that mean you're an ANBU as well?" Kakashi nodded solemnly. Iruka smiled softly, "I know most all of the Jounin, but I had never seen you before. Are you new?"

"I've been a Jounin since I was 9 years old, so no I'm not exactly new." Iruka gaped so wide his mouth formed an O.

"What? How long have you been an ANBU?"

"I was 13 when the Fourth Hokage put me in ANBU." He frowned now, reminded of his loved ones he hadn't visited. Kakashi walked ahead, hoping Iruka could tell he wanted to drop the subject. They had at least a two days walk to the Mist and he was already being, icy , as Genma once dubbed it.

"Have I met you before?" Kakashi froze, had Iruka figured his identity already? "Were, you the one, that I talked about, uh, Naruto with?" The jounin thought about it for a long while, vaguely remembering a hazy memory in a park. Now that he thought about it more, he remembered constantly watching out for the kid once he entered the Academy. The boy had no one else to look after him, it had become a pass time to at least make sure he was alive.

"Did we meet in a park?" Iruka smiled broadly, "Yes! That's it! I can't believe I forgot who you were. You never told me your name."

Truthfully Kakashi had forgotten it had even happened. Kakashi simply shrugged, he had never been one to give out his name freely.

"You were right you know, to give Naruto a chance. He's a good kid." Kakashi nodded, after all, the Third Hokage wasn't the only one paying so Naruto could live a fairly decent life. He desperately wanted to take out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise but restrained so as not to blow his cover.

"Truth be told this will be my second time making this trip. To think that I will get to see Kato again fills me with excitement." Kakashi hummed, figuring that letting Iruka talk would be better than him trying to make conversation. He listened calmly as Iruka blabbered on in that cheerful way of his.

"Kato is the young son of the Emperor. It was only two months after I started teaching that I was allowed to make the last trip. And to think that I would be suggested to go again!" Iruka was smiling now, broad and toothy. Kakashi finally allowed himself to relax, "How long has it been?"

"Three years." Kakashi nodded, "Did you report anything suspicious?" Iruka shrugged, "It's the village Hidden in the Mist, where their children kill each other as the test to become a ninja." The brunette frowned in deep thought. Kakashi scratched his head, still confused as to why he was put on a C-rank mission. There was no doubt his secondary identity would most likely be discovered within the span of the next few weeks. Iruka was not stupid and it wouldn't take long to think about how many jounin rank ninja whom were also ANBU had spiky silver hair. It was like figuring out Tortoise was Maito Guy by the exuberant displays of youth and love.

If Iruka had realized, he hadn't said anything yet and Kakashi wouldn't purposely expose himself, though his reputation itself might give him away. He sighed desperately wanting for his fingers to touch a blade or the familiar pages of his book. They had been walking for around an hour by now and the mission was already to slow for Kakashi's usually run or die paced missions. If he had been with an ANBU squad they would be nearing the border by now.

"Mah~ this is the slowest route I've ever taken ."

"This was the route suggested by Lord Hokage," Iruka said whilst taking the map out anyway. "This route allows us to get there in two days rather than 3 and a half." Iruka carefully looked over the contents and then showed Kakashi. Kakashi sighed and put his hands in his pocket, "Why are we walking?"

"Lord Hokage said you would be weary from another mission and to take it slow. He said to think of it as a vacation." The jounin frowned, he was definitely not weary, if anything he was more on edge from lack of fighting. The Old Man had said it would be a 'learning experience', for what exactly.

"I'm not weary, if we hurry we could make it there by nightfall." Iruka gaped before sighing, "I'll try and keep up."

…

They arrived at the gates two hours after daybreak and Iruka was heaving with his hands on his knees from the constant running. The jounin apparently had no idea about the concept of breaks and jumped from tree to tree without breaking a sweat.

"Fuck, I'm out of shape," Iruka cursed, a rarity on its own. Kakashi chuckled, "Mah~ I'm shocked, what a dirty mouth from a teacher." The brunette glared up at him from his position before he stretched out and approached the gate with the scroll allowing their entrance. A female Mist jounin took the scroll and opened the contents before glaring and throwing the scroll to Kakashi. He caught it with ease before casually putting it back in his weapons pouch.

"So filth like you have been reduced to doing C-rank missions with Chunin, Kakashi Hatake." Kakashi chuckled before shrugging, "I suppose it could be worse, I could be guarding a gate." Iruka tensed having no idea where the sudden hostility came from.

"Remari, hold your tongue. There is an armistice with the Leaf." An older, muscled man stated calmly. He was about the size of two Kakashi's put together. He looked at the two calmly, "Come with us, we will show you to the estate."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask as he put his hands in his pockets on guard and more serious than Iruka had seen him thus far. They were escorted by the two Mist jounin to a large building near the outskirts of the village. The atmosphere was tense and Iruka looked to Kakashi for any signs as to what was happening. All he got was a coy smile before he went back to observing the aptitude of the other two. Remari seemed to be fighting an internal battle where she decided on whether to start a war or not by seemingly trying to kill Kakashi.

Iruka frowned but remained quiet, determined to ask what this was all about, later. They arrived soon enough, thank goodness, because the tension was deadly. Remari knocked loudly on the door, "The Leaf Ninja are here for the foreign exchange!" She shouted loud enough to wake the village. The group waited several minutes before the door opened several minutes later. Iruka didn't have the chance to react before he was barreled into and tackled before his hands were pinned to the ground.

The brunette groaned as his head hit the dirt and the wind was knocked out of him before looking into the cheeky face of a seventeen year old Kato Ryuzaki. His red hair was tied loosely behind in a simple ponytail as he looked down at Iruka with happy green eyes and a childish grin that made his freckles stand out.

"I finally got you," he practically purred with a deep voice that sent shivers down Iruka's spine. Iruka gulped, "So it seems." Kato smirked before he released Iruka as he noticed the kunai to his neck for the first time. Kakashi held the kunai to the boy's neck until Iruka got up from the ground. He slowly loosened the pressure of the blade against the tender flesh with slight reluctance. In the instant he had seen the ninja attack Iruka, he had equipped the kunai hidden within his sleeve and held it to the enemy's neck before Iruka could be killed. Remari had almost leaped with joy at the chance of finally taking down the man who killed her brother, before realizing who his kunai was held against. Instead, she held back, ready to attack Kakashi in the case he really did kill the son of the Emperor.

Kato held his hands up in mock surrender, "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't hold back when I saw Iruka-sensei."

"It's all right, Kakashi-san, it's just a game we used to play between us." Kato smirked as Kakashi slowly lowered his weapon. Kato wrapped an arm around his former teacher's shoulders, grinning at their height difference now, he was taller than three years ago. Iruka was still as cute as a button, oblivious to all of his flirtations from years ago. Kato was determined to make finally make Iruka-sensei his after all these years. He locked eyes with the jounin that had accompanied Iruka from his village. Kato watched as Kakashi smiled and waved at him as if he hadn't held a kunai to his neck only seconds ago. The red head smiled back, pulling Iruka closer much to the brunette's confusion, but Iruka was as polite as ever and gave him a shy smile.

Kato looked down at him and into those chocolate eyes he loved from years back,"Come, let me show you my home."


	9. Chapter 9

Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he watched Kato's hand travel to the small of Iruka's back and settle there. He watched their interactions together with growing irritation as they giggled and murmured to each other quietly. Kato showed Iruka every little thing imaginable, like vases, paintings, etc., as they walked down the narrow well lit corridor. They were being very slowly led to their rooms. Yes, plural, meaning that there would be two rooms. Not only was Iruka's room no one near his, eight rooms away as a matter of fact, it was also beside Kato's. Kakashi could tell a lot about a person after meeting them, including their weaknesses. It wasn't hard to guess that there was something hiding behind the sheepish smile. Kakashi cleared his throat, eye narrowing when he was met with a glare for only a fraction of a second. Great, two people hiding behind false pretenses.

"Iruka-sensei and I shall stay in the same room for safety precautions." Kato's eye twitched before he smiled down at Iruka.

"I'm sure Iruka-san is very capable of protecting himself, and besides, his room will be next to mine. I will do anything to protect him if something were to happen." Iruka blushed and turned his head away from the intense scrutiny of Kato's gaze. Kakashi shook his head nonchalantly, "See, thing here is, that it's not your duty to protect him, it's mine. I have to respectfully ask if there are any rooms with two beds, if not, that's fine."

Iruka frowned, they were both so hostile towards each other for seemingly no reason. He looked up at the fine man Kato had become, a jounin at that, with pride for his student. People had been hostile since the moment they stepped through the gates, very different from last time. He pursed his lips together, "Is there really no way for us to room together?"

Kato frowned before shrugging, "I just thought that you would be more comfortable in separate rooms. I will have someone make the adjustments immediately." With a snap of his fingers a chunin was by his side, surprising Iruka with his speed. Kato just pointed at the room closest to his, "Add another bed to that room before dinner in case our guests would like to recline."

Iruka yawned, "We ate before we arrived, I think it is time we retired." Kato looked saddened but Iruka playfully nudged his stomach with his elbow, "Lessons start at 8 A.M sharp, don't be late. If I catch you running around the village chasing after girls again, I swear to god I'll make you regret it!" Kato put his hands in his pockets, a sultry smile on his face as he leaned in close enough so that his and Iruka's noses were almost touching. He looked down at the pale lips that would be so easy to simply kiss.

"I'll be waiting." Iruka felt a cold shiver down his spine as Kato's hot breath ghosted against his cheek. Warnings signals rang in Iruka's mind and he tried to lean away. Maybe he wasn't reading the signals Kato threw his way wrong after all. The boy didn't have a chance to do anything further before Iruka was yanked away by the collar of his vest. Kakashi stood there, face a blank sheet, "Thank you for your understanding and hospitality."

Iruka nervously laughed it off as a joke, it had to be a joke. He punched Kato's shoulder, "Brat, don't forget who the teacher here is!" Kato smirked, "How could I ever forget, sensei?" Iruka blushed and scratched his cheek absentmindedly. Kakashi smiled and bowed before he pulled Iruka into the room and closed the door. He waited several moments for the chakra force to move away before he spoke.

"You need to be more cautious of him, he's dangerous." Iruka rolled his eyes, " You're overreacting, he was joking, he's still just a kid," he dismissed.

"Besides, what was all of that at the front gate about?" Kakashi looked around the room, single eye taking in the futon in the corner. He remained quiet until he was sure there wasn't anyone else listening, before he shrugged.

"I don't know. She definitely knew who I was, though. She most likely has a very good reason to hate me." Kakashi leaned back against the wall, arms crossed as he watched Iruka sit down on the bed. Iruka picked up his pack and set it on his lap before glancing up shyly and taking out a small bag of strawberries. He silently passed one to Kakashi, "Sorry about lying earlier, I didn't think you would sit calmly through dinner." Kakashi shrugged, he slowly pulled down his mask, already knowing that Iruka wouldn't look.

Kakashi watched as Iruka turned the other way, fiddling with his pack and rummaging through its contents. Iruka took out several books he'd planned to use for teaching and scratched his head, " I, uh, didn't think Kato would be a jounin already. I though he might be a chunin since they wanted me to teach him. I don't know exactly what they want me to do here." Iruka faced the wall as he spoke. He picked up a small bags of grapes before he tossed them behind him. Kakashi caught them effortlessly, "Strawberries and grapes, boy am I lucky I left the menu to you!"

"I don't need sarcasm from someone who didn't even pack anything. Take it or leave it." Iruka's shoulders sagged as he himself opened a bag of strawberries and slowly ate them as he looked over his books. Kakashi sat silently as he took in his surroundings. He listened through the walls for any signs of an approaching enemy but found nothing. They must have sat in silence for hours before Iruka closed his books and turned around to look at Kakashi's masked face.

"It's late we should get to bed." Kakashi smiled, "Sure, I'll stay up a little longer." Iruka frowned, looking as if he wanted to say something again before stopping himself.

"Do you mind if I turn the light off?" Kakashi shrugged, "Do whatever you want." Iruka sighed before he flicked the light off. Kakashi watched as Iruka's breathing became slow and even after several minutes. He remained alert before he slowly closed his eyes hours later and fell into a state of half sleep, the kind where you can still sense your surroundings.

…

Iruka yawned loudly as he woke up precisely at six in the morning. He turned to see Kakashi sitting in the same place he'd been the night before. Iruka felt guilty as he saw the unused futon in the corner, he should have offered the bed to Kakashi and not have been so selfish, the man was still recovering after all. He'd just assumed Kakashi would be all right with the futon since he made no effort for the bed. It was wrong of him to assume. Kakashi seemed to be the type content without such things as daily necessities, like food.

Iruka cleared his throat loudly and Kakashi slowly opened his non-covered eye to peer at the brunette curiously. The teacher straightened the clothes he slept in before he stood up, "Would you like to get breakfast?" Kakashi looked up at the ceiling quickly before he turned his eye to the door, already expecting the knock before it happened. He stood up and stretched as he let Iruka answer the door. A servant was waiting for them, "You've been invited to dine with the young master this morning. If you'll follow me, I will lead you to the dining room for breakfast." Iruka chuckled nervously, "Thanks, just one moment." He looked back to Kakashi to see if he was ready. The only reply he received was a simple shrug so he took that as a yes. He nodded to the servant as Kakashi sauntered his way behind him, seeming to take in everything with his singular eye.

The servant led them down the spacious hall before pausing and opening the door. He bowed as he gestured them to enter the room. Kato sat up immediately as Iruka entered the room with Kakashi following close behind.

"I see you still need to work on your manners." Kato chuckled and stood up to pull the chair out for Iruka. The teacher raised a brow at the gesture and Kato winked, "I'm a gentleman when I want to be." Iruka shook his head, "Gentleman? You still seem more like a brat to me." Kato smiled but Kakashi could see he didn't take well to Iruka treating him like a kid. Kato turned his attention to the masked man for a second before returning it to Iruka.

"So, sensei, what's up with the dog on a leash?" Iruka frowned and hit the boy upside the head, "Have some respect, you may be a higher rank than me now, but don't look down on anyone from the Leaf. He's a very respectable jounin assigned to be my protector. " Kato smiled, "Aren't you proud? I'm way stronger than the genin you once knew. I know a lot of new things now."

"Once an idiot always an idiot. I suppose you're just a stronger idiot." Kato laughed and Kakashi watched the transaction carefully. He knew full well Kato's intentions, they were hard to miss, unless you were an angel. Kato also seemed to know that Kakashi would be watching everything they said carefully. The two bantered playfully before breakfast was brought out. Iruka beamed as he saw the delicious delicacy that was his favorite food from the Mist appear in front of them. He couldn't remember what they were called, but they were like mini pies filled with fruits and topped with glaze. Iruka moaned loudly as he took his first bite of the sweet and moist pie, the flavors exploding on his tongue in all the right ways.

Kakashi was stunned momentarily as he looked at Iruka who's face was slowly turning red.

"Sorry, I didn't realize what I did." Kato shook his head, obviously pleased.

"I'm glad I remembered they were you favorite." He turned to the Jounin, "Why don't you try one?" Kakashi smiled, and took one off of Iruka's plate rather than his own. Iruka looked at him warily before he nodded his approval and turned to engage Kato with conversation again, allowing him his privacy. Kakashi ate the tart quickly, deciphering the taste for any possible poisons. He had a high tolerance for the poisons and several antidotes, but that didn't mean he couldn't die. He briefly thought about the tasteless poisons Mist ninja were known to use in case of side effects.

"You two must be close. Iruka was always so finicky about food." Kato smiled as he turned to Kakashi. Iruka shook his head while he crossed his arms, "I would have been fired if I let the son of the Minister have bad manners! Besides, you had exactly the same thing on your plate, you just don't like vegetables, especially peas." Kato made a quick face of disgust and Kakashi could tell it was genuine. The expression was childish and if Kakashi were any other person he would abandon his insecurities about the kid in front of him, but he knew better.

Kakashi knew better than anyone what could happen when you begin to trust. He learned the hard way about why it was better not to underestimate any ninja. He would almost be insulting the boy if he let his guard down. Kakashi continued to remain apathetic towards the situation since it was harder to kill someone you care about. He thought about Rin. She had always brought him bentos so he would eat properly. His thoughts turned towards the brunette sitting next to him, smiling fondly at the similarities. Kakashi was determined to protect him, he would not fail anyone else he cared about again.

The thought he cared for the chounin surprised him more than it should. Caring for someone was painful for an ANBU. You could so easily lose them or have that weakness used against you. It was wiser to simply abandon any feelings entirely. Without feelings it made the job easier and less damaging to the psyche. If you didn't care, you could never get hurt by anyone. Caring was a weakness to a weapon used only for killing.

Kakashi was a broken man. He'd seen and done far to many terrible things in his lifetime. He ran a hand through his spiky hair at the epiphany of him feeling something. Kakashi hadn't cared about anything in years, not even his own life. It had surprised him so much he had actually let his guard down in the presence of a possible enemy jounin. He schooled his features quickly and vowed to never get distracted like that again.

Kakashi didn't know the depth of his feelings, the sensation being so foreign after so many years. He only knew one thing, and that was that he cared about Iruka in some way or form. Perhaps, just maybe, this is what the Hokage wanted him to know. That, even after years and years of blocking out emotions, he was still human. Kakashi quickly blocked anymore new found emotions, he was still a weapon, that part hadn't changed. He glanced at Iruka who was still casually chatting with his old student.

"Excuse me, Iruka-sensei, I think breakfast has gone on long enough." Iruka flushed and looked down at his lap. Yet again Kakashi felt as if he needed a lesson on how to talk to people. He wasn't sure what he said wrong, but to make Iruka embarrassed probably wasn't for the best. Kakashi frowned in confusion, what he said had been the truth. They were on a mission and quite frankly the sooner they finished the better.

"Pardon me," Iruka chuckled nervously, "I had forgotten the time." Kato smiled and Kakashi classified the look in the boys eyes as adoration. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. He recognized Kato had feelings for Iruka, he was easily able to classify them as love, though he himself had no experience in that area. Kakashi was trained at observing and classifying characteristics of people, it was part of the job description. As he watched Kato, he could tell that those feelings could easily turn volatile if triggered, that was what made him dangerous.

"It's quite all right, sensei. I enjoy watching your passion whilst you talk, it's quite engaging." Kato crossed his hands, smirking as Iruka flushed red again. He enjoyed watching Iruka, and even enjoyed simply listening to the sound of his voice. "Since we must, lets get started with our lesson, shall we?" He smiled brightly at his true love of several years. Kato was convinced he could get Iruka to love him back, all he need was some gentle coaxing. He wasn't evil, he just couldn't let Iruka go and leave him behind all on his own again, not this time. This time, he would keep Iruka with him at any cost.

Iruka stood up from his chair and stretched his arms behind his back briefly. He made sure to note to himself that Kakashi would get the bed tonight. It was only fair seeing as how the jounin had looked distracted by something throughout their entire meal. Outwardly he stayed exactly the same, never expressing any emotion on his poker face, but Iruka knew. He knew that something had bothered Kakashi enough to let his guard down for several seconds. Iruka was impressed as how quickly Kakashi had realized what he had done and how fast he had fixed it. If he hadn't secretly been watching him out of the corner of his eye he would have missed it entirely.

Iruka was surprised to say the least that Kakashi had momentarily dropped his stoic professionalism as a guard. Kakashi was very similar to the elusive ANBU he cared for back home. In fact, he had already come to the conclusion that they were probably the same person. He knew all of the ninja in the village, there was no way he couldn't put two and two together after observing his behavior for a bit. What other person in their right mind would only bring soldier pills to eat for two weeks? Iruka had also been slightly nosy when he had looked at Kakashi's file. He was probably the only person in the village to only have a medical file available in emergencies. Anything else had been blacked out and impossible to read.

He had been so distracted by Kakashi while conversing with his student that he felt like a bumbling fool. He had even so unprofessionally disregarded the time, making them thirty minutes later than they should be. Iruka followed quietly behind Kato as he led them to the room they would have their lessons in. He only looked up from the floor when Kato had put his arm in front of Kakashi, blocking him from entering. Kato smiled, "I'm afraid you must remain outside since anything said in this room is strictly confidential information between our villages. I hope you understand."

Kakashi frowned at the way Kato had looked all too pleased to say that sentence. He shrugged lightly before the door was quickly slid closed. Kakashi waited for two minutes, before he decided to follow his gut and not leave Iruka alone in the room. He lightly walked up to the ceiling, concealing his chakra before he used an earth jutsu to pass through the ceiling into the attic. Kakashi sighed quietly at the hotness of the attic before lightly taking several steps to the left so that he would be over the classroom. He sat down and uncovered his sharingan so that he could at least see their chakras temporarily.

Kakashi had develop a fine tuned ear so he was able to hear the conversation and everything that occurred in the room. He quite frankly didn't care if any of the information was private or secretive, his mission was to protect. Kakashi was also 100% positive Kato had locked the door when he closed it. Kakashi most definitely didn't want to simply stand by and wait while Iruka was locked in the room with an enemy jounin that had his sights set after him. Though due to Iruka's angelic and caring personality all innuendos had gone right over his head.

He closed his eye before he took a small bottle out of his weapons pouch. A gift from Centipede, a mosquito, trained to follow only Kakashi's command. While he wasn't willing to give his entire body to a colony of bugs, he did find the stealth of the Aburame clan impeccable. He had copied the technique easily enough that he could control any bug of his choosing. Kakashi opened the lid and let the small bug free. He had momentarily forgotten that he had brought the bug along with him.

Kakashi quickly re-covered his eye and watched as the mosquito found a small hole in the ceiling to fly through, lucky him. He didn't let his guard down but he relaxed slightly since now he had the bug to be his eyes, even if it was from a bugs point of view. He unbuttoned a pocket on his vest as he took out the little orange book he brought. Kakashi was at the part where the protagonist was stranded on the island with twelve sexy female models. He quickly resumed where he left off, somehow knowing that Iruka's lesson would last forever.


	10. Chapter 10

To say Kakashi was surprised when he lost connection with his mosquito only an hour later, was an understatement. He had to admit he hadn't been paying attention as much as he should have, Makeout Paradise did that to a person. However, he hadn't lost his chakra control and let the mosquito fly dangerously close to the two. Kakashi leaned forward and uncovered his eye to see why he had lost connection, wondering if the jutsu had a time limit. It took a minute or two to find a chakra source that small, but he found it in the back corner on the floor. It wasn't hard to tell that the bug died, it was surprising to see that a miniature senbon about the size of a needle was the cause of death.

Kakashi frowned as he recovered his eye and put his book away. The fact that Kato sensed a chakra presence that small was a near impossible feat on it's own. He didn't have any doubts Kato already knew he was watching. He had been silently challenged. Kakashi sat back and crossed his arms as he assessed the situation. Kato had purposely killed his mosquito as a challenge, that was simply not acceptable. He didn't particularly care that the bug had died, it was more along the lines that the gift had been killed as a challenge that bothered him.

Kakashi wiped the sweat off his forehead as he stood up and made his way to the first level. He was careful as he used his earth jutsu and landed quietly on the floor. Kakashi took a second to relish in the cool air before he picked the lock on the door. He lightly tapped on the door before opening it, interrupting Iruka's lecture on the politics between the nations. Iruka looked at him inquisitively as he watched Kakashi take a seat in the back corner of the room.

"Don't mind me, I was just tired of being ran over by maids while waiting in the hall. I'll be quiet, ne~?" Iruka rolled his eyes before he cleared his throat and quickly resumed what he was talking about. Kato didn't say a word as the lecture droned on for another hour and a half. Iruka smiled awkwardly as he observed the two jounin who barely even moved. It was almost as if he had been talking to himself the entire time.

"Shall we take a break and let the information sink in for a bit?" Iruka relaxed when Kato smiled softly. Kato had been looking so serious he had started to worry. He put his hand on his student's shoulder, "Are you alright? You haven't said a word almost this entire time! If you're sick we can pick up again tomorrow. I highly doubt the other teacher has gotten this far with Konohamaru-kun." Kato smiled broadly and shook his head. Iruka was too cute, worrying about him.

"I'm fine, I just have a lot on my mind right now." Iruka nodded before he removed his hand. Kakashi stood up from his place in the corner and stretched lightly. He smiled sheepishly at Iruka, "Pardon me, Iruka-sensei, but I forgot to pack some important essentials." He turned to Kato, "Do you mind if you resume your lesson after lunch? I need Iruka to be my guide around the village."

Kato pursed his lips together, making them a thin line. The boy shrugged lightly, "Would it not be more convenient if I had a guard lead you?"

Kakashi shook his head and put his hands in his pockets, "See, thing here is that my mission is to protect Iruka-sensei, at any cost. I can't have you rudely obstructing my mission anymore than you already have, so, I must insist that I borrow Iruka-sensei." Kato was genuinely shocked at probably being treated like that for the first time. While Kakashi never raised his voice from the usual monotone drawl, the message was clear. Iruka stood there with his mouth open, wondering where the hell that came from so suddenly.

Iruka nervously stood in front of the jounin to stop the possible fight before it happened. He gulped, "I apologize for my, uh, partner's, lack of tact about certain things. We don't mean to offend you, it's just that it's best for us to be together by any means, for village security and all that." Iruka chuckled softly, a nervous habit. "So, um, we'll be back around, one?" Kato's face was unreadable as he nodded and frankly that unnerved Iruka more than it probably should have. Iruka didn't even have time to think about anything else before he was being pulled away.

Iruka bit his lip to remain quiet until they were quite a distance away before he turned to Kakashi.

"What was that all about? He's the son of the prime minister! Are you trying to get us killed?" Kakashi silently pointed upwards to the hidden nin, his chakra was concealed perfectly but his scent was so strong it almost hurt his nose. Iruka's eyes widened in realization before he carried on so as not to give away that they knew the were being watched. "That was disrespectful and you know it! What do you even need?" Kakashi waited until the other nin crept away before he spoke, "One, the brat challenged me first, just so you know. Two, I need underwear~"

Iruka sighed, "When did he challenge you?"

"He killed my bug." Iruka almost face palmed at the absurdity of the statement.

"You acted like that over a bug?" Kakashi sulked at the exasperation in Iruka's voice. It did sound like a stupid reason to get mad. He thought about defending himself, but any excuse he came up with would just make him sound like a brat. Kakashi scratched his head in confusion, how was he the one in the wrong when it was Kato that interfered?

Iruka shook his head, "Kato, he has a high ranking in this village. I know to you he may seem like a kid, but he's been trained to become the next Prime Minister since birth. I apologize if he's offended you, he simply doesn't know better." Kakashi put his hands in his pockets as they exited the building.

"He's not a kid anymore, he knows exactly what he did." Iruka raised a brow but Kakashi said no more, lost in his own thoughts. There had been a sharp killing intent with the accuracy that it took to take down a singular bug mid flight from several feet away. It wasn't safe in the midst of the village they fought with most. Kato could do anything he truly wanted and they couldn't do shit. Kakashi contemplated abandoning the mission and escaping with Iruka during the night, but that would start a war. The last thing the Leaf village need was a war with Orochimaru on the loose. The traitor would be back eventually, it was only a matter of when.

Kakashi turned when he felt a small tug on his sleeve as Iruka led them into a small convenient store. Iruka quickly grabbed a bag of generic boxer briefs off the shelf and the went straight for the snacks. Kakashi whistled lightly, "I always figured you were the tighty whities type." Iruka glared at Kakashi before he shoved the pack into the others hands while he grabbed numerous snacks off the shelf. Iruka grabbed a water bottle and then proceeded to the check out.

Iruka smiled brightly at the young clerk who had taken several steps back in fear, obviously not a ninja. "Would you please check these out for us?" He frowned as the young man shook his head very adamantly.

"Why not? We have an armistice with your village!" Iruka hadn't yelled, more like firmly stated but it still looked like the man was about to shit his pants. He softened his gaze, "Would you please check us out, we're not here to hurt you."

"F-free, K-kato-sama's o-order." Iruka nodded slowly, "Thank you, then, would you be so kind as to bag them?" Iruka smiled brightly at the hesitant nod and at the incredible speed his snacks were bagged. He took the two bags worth of snacks, "Thank you very much." He handed one to Kakashi and they quickly made their way out of the small store.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone so scared for their life." Kakashi shrugged and transferred the bag so his dominant hand was free, "I'm used to it." Iruka cleared his throat awkwardly, "Well, uh, I got you a water bottle so that you can at least drink water. I know you think they'll try to kill you, but they won't poison their entire water system to kill you. Most of the snacks are for you, but those strawberry mochi are mine." Kakashi chuckled lightly, he was so going to eat those first.

Kakashi was rummaging through the bag of snacks when they first saw Kato again. Kato crossed his arms before he purposely blocked Kakashi's path. Kakashi ignored his antics and brushed past him, not even looking up from his snacks. Kato bit his lower lip as he turned and shoved Kakashi back. That, did make Kakashi look up. Iruka gulped as he noticed Kakashi's change in posture almost immediately.

"I challenge you, Copy Ninja, to a duel!" Iruka sighed, because of course his student would be rash enough to challenge a ninja ranked in the top ten of the bingo books. Kakashi smiled, "I'm not sure it's permitted, I respectfully decline."

"Cut the bullshit and fight me!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible amidst a village of enemy nin, I'm utterly out numbered.~" Kato smirked, "No one else but me will touch you, and if they do I'll kill them myself." Iruka shook his head solemnly, "Kato, please think rationally. If you get hurt we'll be killed instantly and it will start a war."

"What makes you think I'm the one that's going to lose? I'm a jounin, don't look down on me Iruka-sensei!" Kakashi raised a hand to silence Kato's tantrum, "I need full assurance that both Iruka and I will walk away with our lives and that there will be no war under any circumstances."

Kato scoffed and tossed a scroll Kakashi's way, "A letter, from my father." Kakashi tore off the seal to the read the chicken scratch before he rolled it up and placed it in his pocket. In the case that he did lose, he needed it, at least for Iruka. He had no doubts about what would happen to the brunette in the event that he should somehow die. Iruka looked nervous as he grabbed Kakashi's sleeve, "Are you really going through with this?" Kakashi shrugged, "I told you, there are certain things you're not seeing about Kato. He's not a student anymore, he's a higher rank than you. As far as I'm concerned this is the reason I was put on the mission."

"Your mission is to protect me!"

"I will, with my life if I have to." Kakashi smiled softly, "I promise." He handed the snack bag to Iruka.

"Lead the way." Kato nodded, glancing at Iruka briefly before he turned and motion them to follow. He lead them to an open clearing surrounded by onlookers. Apparently, the challenge was public knowledge, a battle between the Leaf and the Mist. Iruka shuffled behind him, more on guard and alert due to the sheer number of ninja. Kakashi silently scoped out the number of possible enemies, 29 and counting. He had taken out more and he didn't doubt Iruka's abilities, he silently prepared himself to die if they need to escape.

Kakashi was immune to torture, he was trained to give them just enough bullshit information to stay alive. Iruka, well, it was obvious he had never really been in that type of situation other than possible simulations that were required. Kakashi put his hands in his pockets as both he and Kato walked into the ring, Iruka on the sidelines with the bags. He prayed that Iruka had gotten his message.

There was a judge, much like the ones at the chunin exams who stood between them. Kakashi observed each and every one of the spectators, deciphering their skill set. Kato stood in front of him, silently fuming as Kakashi made no note of him. The judge looked at each of them, "Are you ready?" Kato nodded and got into stance, Kakashi shrugged.

"Begin!" The fight didn't start out with a clash of the kunai. Kato jumped back and drew his choice weapons, senbon. Kakashi continued to observe until his singular eye fell upon Kato. Two calculative type killers usually made for a long battle, but Kato had a grudge. Kato went on the offensive first as he aimed for his vitals. Kakashi dodged the smaller needles hidden beneath the others in the nick of time. Sure, they were small, but that didn't change the fact they could pierce with the right amount of force. Kato clicked his tongue as he withdrew a chain of kunai connected with wire.

Kakashi waited, because that was the type of person he was. He was famous for it back in the village. Kato was indeed a weapons master and a formidable one at that, but there was more, and he could feel it. Kakashi put his hands together as he made four shadow clones only to watch as the were struck down moments later. This was going to take a while.

The battle of weapons continued until dusk when Kakashi first saw the glimpse of Kato's power. Like him, Kato had been waiting for the opportune moment when the mist thickened. Kakashi wasn't surprised when he felt the first kunai slice through the skin on his left arm. The situation worsened as his right calf and he could no longer find Kato's shadow. He had disappeared into the mist, while he silently manipulated shadows of his weapons to disappear as well.

Instinct could only go so far as he was assaulted with numerous weapons. He managed to block down most, but it was impossible to dodge them all. Kakashi bit back a groan as a shuriken pierced the back of his thigh. He had let his guard down enough to be captured in a genjutsu. Kakashi felt the dimensions change as the spiraled into a world where he was chained to a post. There was only seconds before red hot flames flickered to life, easily growing in size as they climbed the post like a vine. Kakashi howled in pain as his body was burned from head to toe. The charred skin on his feet were turned black when they began to crumble and turn to dust.

"Release!" As soon as his senses returned to the mist, Kato made his move. He barely had enough time to stop the kunai aimed for his heart while the others punctured his skin. Another set of kunai connected with the wire wrapped around his body, one administering the killing blow. A sharp cry was all that the spectators heard before the mist thinned enough the two became visible. Kato dropped to his knees as lightning shocked the air around him. His hands were burnt nearly to a crisp like the genjutsu where he had held the metal wire used to manipulate the weapons.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, unharmed. He hadn't meant to for his lightning clone to actually almost kill the son of the prime minister. Well, he supposed it was fair since Kato had technically killed him first. Kakashi had merged with the mist as soon as he first noticed Kato's hands move, copying him instantly. He looked towards the crowd where Iruka was being held to the ground, not in any immediate danger as there were no weapons drawn. Kakashi waved as he noticed the look of shock on Iruka's face.

Iruka was stunned as the scene registered in his brain. He had definitely seen Kakashi stabbed in the neck, but Kato was the one panting on the ground. Kato cursed as he slowly forced his body to stand. As soon as he had felt the hairs on his arms tingle he instantly abandoned any weapons. He wasn't fast enough not to get struck by the wave of static electricity. Kato cursed as his body felt like it would collapse at any second.

Kakashi frowned as the other ambled his way to the weapons pouch he threw away. If Kato continued pushing his body to the limit his heart could go into cardiac arrest. He watched silently as a hand grabbed Kato's ankle and dragged him into the earth. Kakashi's clone disappeared and he sighed as Kato struggled to get out even though his entire body was trapped under ground. He turned sharply and sauntered over to where Iruka was being held down.

"If you would be so kind to get off of my partner now, that would be much appreciated," Kakashi said evenly. The two mist nin quickly scrambled away while Kakashi held out his hand to help Iruka up. Iruka graciously took the hand and stumbled to his feet. He absentmindedly wiped the dirt off of his uniform.

"Why did they attack you?" Iruka's face did the thing where it turned red as a tomato while he purposely avoided Kakashi's singular eye.

"I, uh, never mind that, what happened with you?" Kakashi shrugged, "I think you already know what happened." He turned to the closest mist nin, "Why don't you guys go dig the young lord out before he hurts himself further?" They grumbled something nonsensical, insults probably, but did as they were told. Kakashi ushered Iruka away from the other spectators so that they could return back to Kato's estate. The walk was quiet as they made their way back beneath the darkening sky.

"Are you alright, Iruka-sensei? Did they hurt you?" Iruka scoffed, but didn't reply. Kakashi scratched his head in confusion. Where had he messed up this time? After being with Iruka for an extended amount of time he had been almost positive his people skills had increased. So, when exactly did he fuck up enough to make Iruka mad? Kakashi followed close behind as Iruka stormed into their room.

"Why are you mad at me? Did you want him to win?"

"Of course not!" Iruka all but threw the bags on the ground before he sat exasperatedly on the bed. He rubbed at his temples as he tried to clear his mind. The sight of Kakashi dying had brought forth all sorts of emotions that he had very adamantly been denying. Fuck, an internal freak out over just exactly what those feelings might be just made them seem realer. Kakashi remained quiet as he tried to figure out what was wrong.

"Look, it was just a shock for me to see you die. That's all it is." Iruka felt like Kakashi could easily see through his lie, but well, that's what he was going to keep telling himself. The shock of seeing a friend die always brought forth strong feelings. Yeah, not those kind of feelings his inner voice said sarcastically.

"You should rest, you look pale."

"No, not yet." Iruka threw the crinkled seal he'd hidden in his at Kakashi. "Did you think I would just leave you behind in the case things had been worse? What was that even for? A paper bomb, did you want me to suicide?"

"You're being hysterical. It was protection and yes, if something does happen I expect you to leave me behind no matter the circumstances."

"Now you're being hysterical, what sense does it make to leave you behind?" Kakashi shook his head as bent down to pick up the seal. He checked to make sure the seal was intact before he handed it to Iruka.

"Look, just run and use the seal to summon them when needed. They'll protect you if something bad happens."

"Who are they?"

"My, uh, friends, yeah friends. You should rest you look tired."

"It's your turn for the bed, I'll take the futon."

Kakashi smirked, "We could always share." He purposefully didn't dodge the pillow aimed his way. He laughed, though if he were honest he was slightly disappointed. Iruka rummaged through the snack bag finding the package he was looking for, empty.

"My strawberry mochi!"


	11. Chapter 11

Iruka's heart was almost about to pound out of his chest as he handed his forged mission scroll to the gatekeeper. He had left a shadow clone behind with Kakashi while he was ordered to flee the scene of the duel. He nervously waited as the gatekeeper examined the scroll with disinterest before signing on the paper who was leaving the village on a mission. The gatekeeper was different from the duo they met when they arrived a few days ago. Iruka swiftly caught the scroll as it was tossed to him before he turned to leave. He had taken the form of a random Chunin he had met at the rally where Kakashi had fought Kato. He had also stolen a dark colored cloak from a store, which he immediately regretted, but it was either war or a stolen cloak. Iruka slowly pocketed the scroll and ambled out the gates, slow and steady, not to alert the gatekeeper.

Once out of sight Iruka dropped the disguise and ran for the trees, he had to get as far as he could. Kakashi had left the message to make a shadow clone and leave the village while everyone was distracted by the fight. Iruka felt uncomfortable leaving his partner behind, especially in such dangerous circumstances. However, the urgency of the message from someone like Kakashi made his feet move away from the fight. He looked at the orange colored sky where the sun was about to set. Now, he was alone in enemy territory, at night, with none of the supplies he brought which he unfortunately had to abandon. Iruka gasped as he absorbed the information from his shadow clone about the fight and what Kakashi had told him.

"Tonight they are going to attempt to assassinate me and possibly keep you alive for a very different reason than information. Do not take a passenger boat, take a fishing boat to escape the island. Make sure no one knows you're a leaf ninja at all costs, report to the Third Hokage as soon as possible, I will follow shortly behind."

Kakashi had whispered the message hurriedly before he dismissed the clone. Iruka slowly made his way through the treacherous mist that hadn't been as prevalent when they first arrived. The Land of Water was a main island surrounded by several sub-islands and water that stretched for miles. He gradually navigated his way through the shrouding mist to the harbor they had arrived at once before, only they had ran across the water the first time. The Mist Nin would expect that, and most likely not bother to check around the harbor until later. Iruka put his forehead protector in his weapons pouch beneath his cloak and let his hair down before he covered his head with the hood of the cloak.

Iruka inspected the boats at the dock carefully, thankfully, he always had the habit of making sure he always had a small emergency money bag in his weapons pouch for these type of situations. Finally, he decided on the boat with the frail looking man. Iruka cautiously stepped into the small boat, before clearing his throat to falsely lower his voice.

"To the border," he said with a hoarseness that didn't suit him. Iruka tossed the money bag full of coins at the old man before he sat down. The old man simply nodded and untied the rope harboring the boat to the dock. Before long, the motor started up slowly and Iruka was watching the island disappear behind them in the mist. There was an uncomfortable, but not unappreciated, silence for about two hours as they slowly crossed the sea. As soon as they landed on the shore, Iruka swiftly punched the old man in the stomach to knock him out for his own safety. He would be killed if the Mist Nin found him responsible for the escape of the enemy willingly. Iruka picked up the money bag and put it back in his weapons pouch before he tied the old mans hands behind his back. The guilt left a sour taste in his mouth as he turned his back on the scene.

Luckily, they hadn't exactly stopped at the Harbor for everyone to see, but seemingly at the Old Man's own little version of a dock several miles away. Iruka ran into the trees, he was at least thirty miles away from the border of the Land of Fire and then he would be safe, hopefully.

…

Kakashi sat with his back against the wall watching his clone of Iruka sleep, snoring softly every so often. He nonchalantly put his hands behind his head in the most vulnerable stance he could think of and closed his eye, waiting. Razor-edged swords pierced his chest from the front and from behind, the skin easily giving passage to the sharpened steel. Static filled the air. The assassins screamed as they were electrocuted at the same time.

Kakashi disappeared into the mist as he finished observing the scene from his place on the roof of the building opposite of the mansion. He had not heard any commotion about Iruka during the fight except for the actions of the clone, which meant he successfully managed to leave the village earlier. If he had to guess, Iruka would probably be arriving at the island bordering the Land of Fire. Kakashi took a soldier pill and lightly ran on the rooftops of the buildings and houses to his planned escape route. Unlike Iruka, Kakashi would not be able to simply leave through the front door. Hidden in the mist Kakashi jumped over the wall of the gate on the east side, He had already planted tracks that headed for the west side, however, there was no doubt in his mind that some of the mist ninja wouldn't be tricked by such a trap. Kakashi looked around, finding no one in sight. Everything around the village had been quiet for some time, too quiet. There was no genjutsu, no traps, nothing, it was almost too easy to escape and that just didn't sit well with Kakashi, a top tier village full of nothing except formidable ninja would never be so careless.

Kakashi had barely been able to dodge the ambush of paper bombs as soon as he landed. A kunai lodged itself in Iruka's thick backpack that Kakashi had brought along. Kakashi swiftly used the kunai to incapacitate his attacker as the knife lodged itself deep into the enemy's foot. Kakashi dropped the mist ninja disguise and ran as fast as he could in the trees. The mist had become so devastatingly thick that Kakashi almost wondered if he would have even had a chance of survival without the sharingan. If this kept up, there would be a deadly war between the Mist and Leaf Villages yet again. Kakashi's eye widened, shit, Iruka had most likely been followed the entire time. His legs carried him faster than they had ever before as he uncovered his other eye before he put his hands together to use a jutsu he hadn't used in years.

…

Iruka was mentally prepared for the moment he was attacked. He had noticed their presence behind him as soon as he left the shore. There were only two as far as he could tell, jounin in rank, if their chakra level was anything to judge by. Iruka hastened his pace slightly though not to the extent it would alert the others he was aware of their presence. The chunin cautiously set up as many traps as he could before he ran out of materials in his weapons pouch. He had hoped that at least one of them would work, and that is exactly what happened. Iruka changed direction quickly as an explosion occured behind him. The chunin just barely made it out of the range of the explosion. He carefully hid behind a tree and glanced over his left shoulder to see if his attackers had perished.

"I'm impressed." Iruka tensed as soon as he saw the two ninja in front of him, fuck. They deliberately set off the trap. Iruka mentally counted his weapons, four shuriken, six kunai, and the summoning paper Kakashi had left him along with the message in the bag from the grocery store. He got into a defensive stance as he gauged his opponent's strength. They were arrogant, not worried at all about the enemy they were faced with. One of the unknown mist ninja stepped forward, triggering a trip wire that sent a barrage of kunai from behind. The other jounin managed to catch the trap in time to escape with minimal injuries while the other hadn't fared so well and received the full force of a barrage of kunai. Even if he was alive his injuries were to severe for him to be of any help to the other jounin. Iruka jumped from the tree as the other mist ninja laughed sinisterly behind him. He hastily unfastened the cloak he had stolen, attached a paper bomb to the inside and hurled it at the enemy. It was no surprise the jounin had easily dodged but it had at least been worth a try. Iruka was mainly specialized in defensive jutsu such as barriers and sealing jutsu, however, unlike Kakashi he wasn't the master of a thousand jutsu that could help him take on any ninja he could think of.

The jounin threw several kunai at Iruka, that forced him from the trees to the ground, clearly gowing more and more irritated with the cat and mouse game they were playing. He put his hands together for an unknown binding jutsu that Iruka stepped right in the middle of. Iruka mentally cursed himself as his feet were bound to the ground with some sort of earth jutsu. There was no way he could afford to remain trapped any longer than he already had, all of his barrier jutsu took time that he didn't have. In desperation he attacked the rock with his kunai in hopes of loosening the binds enough to where he could escape.

"Try all you want, you'll never escape." Iruka prepared himself for whatever attack was about to happen. Fortunately for Iruka, the mist jounin seemed like the typical kind of guy who seemed to drone on and on about how powerful and almighty he was and all that gibberish. He felt ashamed that he would have to rely on Kakashi again so soon, however, at this point he was really out of options. Iruka silently retrieved the summoning paper he had almost mistaken for a paper bomb previously. He slashed his hand behind his back before he put his hands together hoping to whatever gods were out there that this would work even if he wasn't Kakashi.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Iruka's eyes widened as eight dogs appeared and literally tore his enemy apart in mere seconds. Once it was very, very, obvious the enemy jounin had been taken care of the pack turned towards Iruka who had been to stunned to even free himself. Hound's pack of ninken had easily taken out the enemy he had been having trouble with in the blink of an eye. He managed to shake himself from his stupor before he lost to much time gawking. The chunin attacked the rocks binding his feet repeatedly with such force it eventually cracked. Iruka's mind was briefly swimming in confusion about the entire situation before he quickly filed such thoughts away for later when they were all safe. Pakkun simply looked at him lazily from his resting place on top of Bull, "Well, are you gonna get a move on or what? Time is of the essence here you know."

"Yes it is! This way!" Iruka was so close to getting back onto Leaf Village territory and now with a pack of eight ridiculously fearsome ninken he was guarded at every angle. He made a note to never doubt a single one of Kakashi's abilities ever again. Pakkun sniffed the air curiously, picking up on another scent before relaxing his head again down on Iruka's shoulders. Soon after they started moving Pakkun seemingly decided the best place to be was resting on Iruka's shoulders. Iruka didn't mind the small dog though it was a little weird to hear him murmuring about the softness of his paws. Whatever it was that he had picked up on he didn't seem to mind but Iruka was curious.

"What was it? A rabbit?"

"Pfft, I'm not some uncivilized mutt. No, I just sensed the brat a little ways behind us. He'll be here soon."

Iruka nodded, he had so many questions swarming around in his head about what everything meant. He was also physically exhausted by everything that happened he struggled to keep up with the harsh pace the ninken set. Iruka was almost out of the danger zone for now and from what Pakkun said Kakashi seemed to be not far behind by some miracle. Kakashi appeared before them in a puff of smoke and Pakkun just huffed, "Show off," under his breath. The chunin was beyond impressed especially because he had several hours of a head start and somehow Kakashi still managed to get ahead. Kakashi grabbed his hand and then they were both miles further than they had been before. Kakashi continued to transport them until they were within several miles of the village. Finally, they were fully out of any imminent danger where they could rest for a short while without having to worry about death.

As they entered the Leaf Village Iruka began to think as he lagged slightly behind the famous jounin. He took in everything that Kakashi Hatake was, and everything Hound was, his mind still reeling as he tried to connect them together. The chunin couldn't manage to fit the puzzle pieces together in time before Kakashi was moving ahead again without word. He sighed and guessed they would talk later after they finished settling everything with the Village Hidden in the Mist. They arrived at the gates in the very early morning only several hours before the sun came up. Iruka slouched over, touching his knees as he caught his breath. Kakashi yawned lazily and turned to Iruka leisurely, "I suggest we report what happened, now." Iruka could only nod as he gazed at the masked man and finally accepted that Hound and Kakashi were actually the same person.

"Do you have multiple personalities?" Iruka blurted out before he could stop himself. Kakashi's eye widened a fraction in surprise before he slowly smiled underneath his mask. Iruka was unnerved by that smile that didn't reach his eyes, it made it seem like it would be the last time they would ever see each other. Kakashi's arm pulsed with a throbbing sensation and he frowned briefly before smiling that fake smile again, "Ah, forgive me Iruka-sensei it seems like I'll have to leave the report to you this time." And just like that, he was gone, as if he disappeared into thin air in front of Iruka's very eyes. The poor chunin didn't know how to feel, he had grown quite fond of the masked ANBU and if he was quite honest even Kakashi. His brows furrowed did he like Kakashi, like that? Iruka blushed as he pictured them together, and he found that he wasn't as adverse to it as any normal man would be. Iruka mentally berated himself, to have a crush on a man at his age was just so pointless, and yet he couldn't deny that the feelings were definitely there.

Iruka filed all thoughts of Kakashi, for later, currently, he had to rush to inform the Hokage of what had happened with the Mist village. Iruka rushed as quickly as he could to where the missions office where he had a feeling the Hokage would already be. As exhausted as he was he made incredible time considering the soreness of his muscles from all of the running he had done over the past several days. He paused to catch his breath before he politely knocked on the door, though this time he did not wait for someone to respond. As soon as he opened the doors, "Lord Hokage, there's troubl-," his eyes widened as he came face to face with not only the Hokage, but presumably all of the ANBU members of the Leaf Village. The Third Hokage let out a puff of smoke as Hound turned to face Iruka along with all of the other ANBU members.

"Yes, I am well aware of the situation, Iruka-sensei. Kakashi made sure to send a clone to inform us of everything that happened. I met with the Emperor of the Mist this evening to assure there would be no war on the condition that there would be no consequences if either of you hadn't made it out of the village alive and that we wouldn't be held responsible if either of you took out any mist nin in self defense." The Third Hokage let out another puff of smoke as he smiled at Iruka who immediately relaxed. There wasn't going to be a war because of him. The relief was so immense that his knees buckled and suddenly he was on the ground. Iruka blushed so hard his entire body turned five different shades of red. He mentally cursed himself, how could he make himself look like a fool in front of the most respected people in the village? Iruka laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, hair still messy from all of the fighting and running, "I guess I'm a little burned out." The chunin stood up quickly, but all eyes remained on him. Iruka gulped as he grew more nervous at the low whispers he heard around the room. He smiled sheepishly, hoping to break the ice with the Leaf Village's number one ninjas.

The ANBU encircled him so fast he barely had time to register what was happening before he was being touched all over and petted like an animal. His mind hardly registered the fact that the ANBU were swarming around him like a celebrity. Iruka blinked in confusion several times as hands touched him everywhere and he blushed crimson, not knowing what to do in a situation like this. He heard them whispering the word angel again and his eyebrows furrowed, what the hell was going on? The chunin yelped as he was abruptly yanked back by his vest into what felt like a brick wall. The ANBU still surrounded him but ceased touching him. Iruka relaxed a little once he saw that Hound was his savior from the hoard of masked ninja. Hound was tense as he held a kunai defensively in order to protect Iruka from the swarm of obsessed ANBU.

"What in the hell is going on?" Iruka stood his ground and crossed his arms, "You can't just suddenly touch people like that without their permission! It's rude! Most people have set boundaries because of insecurities and to simply disregard such a thing is wildly inappropriate!" Iruka fumed as he scolded the group of masked ninja much like he would his class of pre-genin. The murmuring began again and the group of ninja seemed to get more excited as they edged slightly closer but not close enough to be within Hound's range.

The Third Hokage chuckled, "Now, now, Iruka-sensei, they didn't mean to offend." Iruka's eye twitched, "Would someone please explain what that was all about?" Hound sighed from behind Iruka, but he continued to remain vigilant in front of the masked group.

"I suppose it's my fault. On the day you saved me, I didn't know your name and referred to you as a tenderhearted angel, my , word got around about you, and the nickname stuck. A little while later you were being targeted by enemy ninja, from the mist might I add, and I couldn't always be there to watch and protect you. So, I figured that it wouldn't do much harm to let them observe your daily life and protect you while I was gone. However, they started testing you to see how you would react and depending on those reactions they would either lose interest or not." Hound sighed as he scratched the back of his head in guilt. "Well, they definitely never lost interest in you, that much is obvious." Iruka rolled his eyes at that.

"So, basically I've been stalked by the most elite ninja this village has to offer for the past while?" Hound tensed behind him, but nodded slowly. Iruka rubbed his hand over his face, he was way past the point of exhaustion to have to deal with such a thing.

"Stalking, is not good. If you wanted to meet me, I would have made tea," he said exasperatedly. The murmuring around them increased as a new level of excitement started to rise. The Third Hokage chuckled, "I can see that you are very physically exhausted from your mission, Iruka-sensei." Iruka could do nothing more than nod tiredly at that. The old man let out a puff of smoke, "Everything is all right now, Iruka-sensei, I will have the ANBU scouting the village this evening in the event that the Mist Village do not adhere to their word. Your written report can be turned in tomorrow, you may go home now. Hound, would you be so kind as to take Iruka-sensei home?" Hound nodded from behind Iruka and slowly guided him out of the room of ANBU. Once they were in the clear, Hound lowered his weapon. Iruka yawned loudly before slowly turning to Hound, "You have a lot explaining to do, Kakashi."


	12. Chapter 12

_Iruka yawned loudly before slowly turning to Hound, "You have a lot of explaining to do, Kakashi."_

Kakashi tensed at the sound of his name whilst he was in his ANBU persona. Normally, if an ANBU's identity was found they would quickly perform a mind-erasing jutsu on said person, but the Third Hokage had not ordered it to be done on Iruka. He scratched the back of his head nervously, now that it was all out in the open, it did seem pretty bad that Iruka-sensei had been stalked by the majority of the ANBU team on a regular basis. Iruka turned to face him ready to scold him before he blinked slowly and his body suddenly collapsed. Hound caught his limp body easily before it hit the ground and sighed as Iruka lay limp in his arms, the dirt and grime evident on his body from his running. He surveyed his surroundings before he found the only one who had such a mastery of genjutsu, Raven, sitting from a tree limb across the street. Hound sighed, "Why would you use genjutsu on him?"

"To let him sleep." Raven was always a stoic character, it was hard to tell what his intentions were most of the time. "Do not worry, Hound, he is dreaming his deepest desires." Raven looked down from the tree before he swiftly vanished from sight. Kakashi shook his head exasperatedly, he really hoped Iruka didn't think it was him who knocked him out. He gently adjusted Iruka in his arms and carried him the rest of the way to his house. He glanced down, Iruka was sound asleep with a pleasant look on his face. Kakashi briefly wondered what Iruka was dreaming of that could make him look so peaceful. When he arrived back at the teacher's home Iruka would probably be displeased by his breaking and entering into his home,  _again,_  but he didn't have much choice. Much of Iruka's stuff had been misplaced in the confusion and he wasn't sure where the chunin would keep the key to his home anyways. Kakashi easily picked the lock to the front door and disabled all of the traps Iruka had left. He made a note to set some traps himself before he left, ones that were a little less  _predictable_  than Iruka's. Iruka shifted slightly in his arms and Kakashi cursed himself briefly for not disabling the traps fluidly enough for Iruka to not wake up. However, the gods were on his side as Iruka only nuzzled further into his chest. Kakashi stilled, he had never been in this situation before. To be more exact he had never cared enough about the person he was carrying to even bother being gentle before. He had helped many other wounded ANBU back to their homes from time to time, but he had never taken such precaution with them.

Kakashi made his way through the home and down the hallway to Iruka's room. His chest felt tight and his heart was racing. Everywhere Iruka touched felt as if it were on fire compared to the rest of his body. Kakashi's hands felt clammy and his stomach churned with butterflies. Suddenly he was worried he'd been wounded worse than he previously thought. He hastily made his way to the room because he wasn't sure what was happening, but he needed it to stop. Kakashi carefully placed Iruka down onto the bed before slowly taking off the other's shoes to make him sleep a little more comfortable before he quickly covered him with one of the blankets to keep him warm. He paused to take a moment to look at Iruka's content face whilst he slept. He gulped before he hurried out of the room, and put his hand over his chest. His heartbeat was racing to an abnormal level, and his face was suddenly flush over just looking at Iruka's sleeping face. Kakashi was panicking at this point over what was wrong with him, he couldn't recall taking a hit to the chest that could cause delayed chest pains. He schooled his features, even though no one could see behind his mask, he didn't want to give anyone opportunities to use against him because he couldn't control his behavior. Kakashi quickly assembled some traps in place of the ones he had disabled, it didn't matter much anyway because there were several eyes watching his every movement. Iruka really did need to get curtains. He continued hastily making his way out of the home and stopped to take a breath of fresh air after he closed the door behind him. Kakashi ran a hand through his hair in stress over the appearance of such symptoms so suddenly and briefly wondered if they merited a trip to the hospital or not. As he calmed himself down outside, he quickly used a teleportation jutsu to his own home.

Once in the safety of his own home, Kakashi took off his ANBU mask and carelessly chucked it onto the couch in the living room. He sighed, he wasn't sure what exactly had happened to him back there, but the symptoms had disappeared after he had time to steady himself. Kakashi habitually took out his favorite  _Icha Icha_  romance novel and gaze slowly at the cover. He dropped it as if he had been burned after realization slowly dawned on him over what exactly was happening to him. He had read it himself many times, but never once had he ever felt the emotions described in his favorite book series. Kakashi was  _feeling_  for one of the few times in his life, it had been so long he'd forgotten what it really meant to  _feel_  something for another person. He covered his lower face with his hand as a blush spread slowly across his masked face. If he were honest, he was feeling  _more_  than simple friendship for the chunin. Kakashi sighed as he sat down on the couch and quickly schooled his emotions, nothing good would come out of him falling for Iruka-sensei like he was. He closed his eyes as he let his tired muscles relax, and he let his body fall perpendicularly on the couch, knocking the ANBU mask to the floor. For the first time in a long while sleep claimed his consciousness before he could stop it.

….

Iruka woke slowly and wiped the sleep away from his tired eyes. He looked around, not quite sure how he got home last night. The last thing he remembered was talking to Kakashi before everything went blank, as his exhaustion took hold over his body. Iruka blushed as he realized he had fainted in front of one of the most esteemed ANBU in the village. His mortification was worsened by the fact that said ANBU had carried him to his house, even while he himself was in his own weakened state after the same mission. In fact, Kakashi had done so much more whilst on their last mission, and yet he had still fainted before the other. Iruka angrily threw the blanket off of himself because he had embarrassed himself in front of the other once more. He looked outside the window and sighed as he looked towards the trees, where the ANBU who had probably watched him while he slept concealed themselves. Iruka stood up, the least he could do was make them tea if they were so fascinated by his dull life. He made his way to the kitchen and put a pot on the stove to boil. He felt terrible, Kakashi had probably used up almost all of his chakra reserves trying to protect him just so they could get back to the village, and then he became a burden once more by fainting on the poor man whilst in the middle of talking to him. Iruka made some simple cucumber sandwiches to go with the tea, because if the other ANBU were anything like Hound that meant they didn't eat much. He only hoped he'd made enough. He set the finished tray of tea and sandwiches on the window sill, and well it still felt like he was being watched, so he probably was.

Iruka wondered if they could even somehow see him when he showered. He blushed, that would be a major invasion of his privacy even that would be too far! Iruka closed the door to his bathroom, luckily it had no windows, but he wouldn't put it past them to have some sort of jutsu up their sleeve. Iruka cringed, he had been too distracted by the ANBU to notice he had made a mess in his pants whilst he slept. The dream had been like a slap to the face, it had been about the masked ANBU. Iruka shook his head quickly, trying to wipe that thought away, but nevertheless is stuck. He had had a wet dream about Kakashi, a dream where Kakashi had touched him in ways he never thought could arouse him. Iruka sighed, trying to make sense of the situation, he was definitely attracted to the other, but that could be in a number of different ways! The ANBU had a certain charisma about himself that Iruka respected. So, his blatant respect at the sheer power and charisma of the other led to it being misinterpreted in his dream as him being  _sexually_  attracted to the other. Iruka nodded to himself, it sounded like a plausible explanation, coupled with the fact he had been too nervous to take care of himself before the mission so it had also been a while, which is how such a dream could occur. Another scarlet blush made its way across his scarred face. It still didn't change the fact that he wasn't actually too opposed to all of the  _things_ that had happened in his dream.

Iruka shook his head, he wasn't going to go down that route this morning. Firstly, he needed to shower and get all of the gunk and grime on his body. Secondly, he still had a job to do even if he now knew the ANBU's true identity. Regardless of his dream, he still needed to make sure Kakashi was okay. Kakashi had a bad habit of letting things go until he absolutely couldn't carry on. He wouldn't tend to his wounds or eat if Iruka wasn't there to help him. Iruka turned on the water to his shower and let the water heat up to a comfortable temperature. Now, he just needed to figure out how exactly he should act when he went to see Kakashi later.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of your lovely reviews. They definitely stroke my ego and encourage me to continue writing. As always I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

Iruka stepped out of the shower his brown hair cascading down his shoulders. He quickly wrapped a soft towel around his waist and exited the steamy bathroom. Iruka had hoped that after some contemplation in the shower he would figure out how he wanted to face the other after passing out on him. He had been so exhausted he didn't even remember fainting, and then he had  _that_  kind of dream so suddenly afterward. Iruka made his way to the room and almost dropped his towel at the sight of the elite masked ninja  _inside_ his home. Thankfully, Iruka managed to keep his grip on the towel even though it was considerably lower than before.

"W-what are you doing? You can't just startle someone like that!" Iruka scolded indignantly. He was further bewildered when the masked ninja suddenly knelt before him, much like they did with the Third Hokage.

"Pardon our manners, Umino-san we've been sent by the Third Hokage to request your presence in a briefing of your latest mission." Iruka moved his tangled wet hair from out of his face, "I'm sorry I yelled. I was just startled, I'm not used to ANBU just showing up inside my home." Iruka gave them a sheepish smile, "Um, just give me a minute to get dressed, there's tea on the veranda, I don't know if you guys noticed before you came in." After the ANBU quickly excused themselves Iruka closed the door behind him, blushing brightly. He could only hope they hadn't seen anything before he caught the towel. Iruka toweled his hair as he quickly took out a clean set of clothes from his closet. He dressed quickly because frankly, he didn't know who was watching, but he made sure to keep all privates out of view of the window. He grabbed the brush from the drawer on his nightstand and pulled his hair back into his typical high ponytail. Iruka put on his shoes that laid neatly at the end of the bed. He almost groaned at how polite Kakashi was while he was passed out.

When he exited his room he made his way down the hallway to the living room where the dispatched ANBU were quietly sitting on his small couch, with one standing and looking at the wall of pictures his students gave him. The tray of tea and sandwiches had been brought back inside and was empty by the looks of it.

"Oh, those were given to me by my students! Quite the little artists aren't they?" The ANBU nodded slowly, "We must go now, Umino-san." He walked towards Iruka and grabbed his arm. Iruka tensed at the touch, and then suddenly he was in front of the Hokage, and the touch was gone as soon as it had come. He made a note to add a question to his test when they covered the chapter about the ANBU and their job. It seemed like a slightly biased question, but from his experience, the ANBU's favorite jutsu was the teleportation jutsu, even though the jutsu itself was incredibly hard to master. Hound stood coolly in the middle of the room in front of the Hokage, and the previous ANBU from before disappeared without a trace. The Third Hokage took a long drag from his pipe as he looked at the two in front of him. He exhaled a cloud of smoke, "I wanted you to be here to let you know as I render this decision." The Third Hokage took another drag from his pipe, smoke clouding the room as he spoke once again.

"I want to let it be known that as of this moment from here forward, that Kakashi Hatake codenamed Hound is no longer a part of the ANBU." Hound quietly removed the mask from his face as he looked at the ground. Iruka's mouth fell open and he knelt into seiza almost immediately, "Lord Hokage, I beg of you to reconsider! If this is because of our last mission then I must take all of the blame for what happened! Kakashi did everything perfectly and managed to make a distraction to provide ample opportunity for me to escape from such a hostile situation! I beg of you to reconsider!" The Hokage held his hand up to silence Iruka's pleas. He exhaled slowly, "Unfortunately, after long hours of preponderance over this issue, I have come to the same decision as the Head of the ANBU, who specifically requested for Kakashi to retire." Kakashi clenched his hands into fists at his side but said nothing. Iruka felt as if he'd been doused in cold water, and he imagined that the news for Kakashi was much worse. The Hokage smiled at the two, "I've thought about this long and hard Iruka-sensei, and I know that this is the best road for Kakashi-san, even though his skills will be dearly missed as an ANBU. I want to let it be known that his talents will not be wasted and that in fact they will be used to teach the next generation of ninja as their jounin squad leader." The Third Hokage looked pleased with his explanation as he took in the faces of the two in front of him. Iruka's was blatant shock, Kakashi, teaching? While Kakashi kept his features as stoic as always, though he did let out a small sigh. The Third Hokage stood up from his chair and waved them off before he exited the room, "That is all, you two are dismissed."

Iruka stood up and dusted his pants off after being on the floor, he bit his lip nervously. "Would you like to get ramen with me?" He blurted before he mentally berated himself, why would the ex-ANBU want ramen of all things after such news? Kakashi chuckled softly, his one eye creating a downwards crescent to show he was smiling beneath the elusive mask he always wore. Iruka gulped as he nervously awaited the final reply of the other.

"Did you just ask me on a date, Iruka-sensei~?" Iruka jaw dropped, and a bright blush spread across his face, "N-no! Well, kind of, but not like that! I wanted to treat you to lunch as thanks for yesterday." Iruka smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head nervously, "I kind of burdened you yesterday when I fainted, and you were kind enough to carry me home, even with all of your own injuries."

"I think you would have been a bit surprised if you had woken up in my bed, Iruka-sensei~." Iruka turned a different shade of tomato as he remembered the dream he had had the night before, and the mess it made. His mortification would have been ten times worse if he had been left to borrow Kakashi's clothes after he dirtied himself. Iruka covered his mouth with his hand and turned to look down at the ground in a failed attempt to cover his blush.

"Ah, thank you very much for taking me home last night, Kakashi-san." He said softly. Kakashi raised a brow, Iruka was suddenly acting strange compared to before. He frowned he had a feeling it had something to do with the genjutsu, Raven had put him in the night before. Now, Iruka was acting as if it hurt to even look at him, and he was blushing worse than before from the joke he had made.  _"Do not worry, Hound, he is dreaming his deepest desires."_  Kakashi didn't know what to make of that and Iruka's current behavior. Had Iruka killed him in his dream? He was haunted by nightmares of slaughtering the people he had been told to for his mission. But, he had an inkling it wouldn't be something of a violent nature like his were. Iruka looked up shyly as he lowered his hand, "Let's just go get ramen, my treat, of course." All Kakashi could do was nod and follow the other. It was surreal, being without his mask to hide his emotions behind, he rarely ever walked around the village as himself.

Kakashi looked at the leaves on the trees as they walked in silence towards the best ramen in town. Perhaps, they had not thrown him aside like a used tool, but instead, they polished him and set him on the sidelines so he would not break. A squad leader, isn't that what Guy was always rambling on and on about and his precious students? He sighed, his future didn't look bright currently, and he wasn't exactly a children person, especially genin.

"So, squad leader, huh? That's exciting, that means you'll most likely have some of the kids I've taught in your squad sometime in the future. I'll have to tell them about some of the legendary people who became squad leaders." Iruka smiled brightly as he continued chatting almost one-sidedly with a few interjections Kakashi supplied. Finally, they arrived at the ramen shop and quickly ordered some ramen. "I was surprised to say the least by Lord Hokage's proclamation earlier. How long have you even been an ANBU?" Kakashi pondered that question a moment, normally an ANBU couldn't disclose information about themselves, but then again he wasn't exactly an ANBU anymore. His eye widened in realization over what exactly the Head and Lord Hokage had planned, those sly old men. He quickly schooled his features before Iruka caught onto what exactly their intent in retiring him was.

"I've been an ANBU since probably about the age of those genins you're teaching are now." Iruka turned to look at the man in awe before he dropped his chopsticks, at seeing the man unmasked for the first time. A long scar went down the right side of his face, even though most of it was covered by the headband that still covered his other eye. He had a small mole on his chin, and a chiseled jawline that he could see with the mask on, but there was something different about seeing him without the mask. Iruka's mouth gaped, as Kakashi was probably the most handsomely dangerous man he had ever laid eyes on. He now understood why the other chose to keep his face hidden most of the time because frankly, he would be a major distraction to the other female ninja if he walked around town looking the way he did. Kakashi chuckled, "I've never had that kind of reaction before. I guess we kind of match," he said as he pointed towards his own facial scar.

Iruka quickly turned away, he had not meant to invade the other's privacy in such a way and then he even gawked at the man for a good while unintentionally. He bit his lip, "Forgive me for my rude behavior, I had not meant to stare. Y-you're just very handsome to be fair, is that why you cover your face?" Kakashi shrugged, "I've always covered my face, ever since I was a child." Iruka nodded as he picked up his fallen chopsticks and began vehemently slurping his ramen down much like Naruto would. There was no way a man like that would ever fall for someone like him now. Wait, why did he want Kakashi to fall for him? Let alone a legend of a man like that? Oh, Iruka was suddenly so confused, because as soon as he had seen the other man's face his heart had started racing almost painfully inside his chest, and his face heated up, and he had a feeling it had something else to do with Kakashi other than the steam from the ramen.

**A/N Thank you for all of your lovely reviews, I've been MIA for a while but I hope updating twice in a few days makes up for it.**


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